Fitting cycle routes next to bus corridors and extending crossing times for pedestrians were among issues councillors discussed at a recent transport committee meeting.
Is it a Trojan horse for privatisation and cutbacks, or a panacea for the city’s ailing transport network? DIT transport-planning lecturer David O’Connor looks at the debate around the proposed changes.
Drivers also say they’re disgruntled they weren’t consulted earlier. The consultant behind BusConnects says all feedback is welcome, but the interests of drivers and passengers don’t always align.
“Services on the main roads seem to be fine and will hopefully improve. But anybody who is living in the centre of estates is losing out big time,” says Independents 4 Change Councillor Pat Dunne.
New plans for Dublin’s bus network hinge on nodes across the city, where passengers would have to hop off and change buses. What might those interchanges be like?
But unless the city-centre congestion is dealt with, we are unlikely to be any better off with or without BusConnects, writes DIT transport-planning lecturer David O’Connor.
Pressure is already mounting to dispense with plans to pedestrianise College Green and create a civic plaza. That would be rash, writes a DIT transport planning lecturer.
It could provide the equivalent of 7 new Metro North schemes, 20 dublinbikes schemes, or 6 Luas Cross City schemes. It’s important that officials communicate their plans.
