Senator says ‘sham public consultation’ leaves Dubs in the dark

Senator Michael McDowell has blasted the ongoing “phony public consultation” by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as they progress with plans for the BusConnects core bus corridors across Dublin City.

Almost 3700 detailed submissions were received from members of the public as part of a third round of public consultation which ended in December 2020.

Despite claiming to “continue to review” the views of the public, the NTA will next week embark on a series of private meetings with An Bord Pleanála in order to progress the detailed plans they have prepared.

“This opaque and premature process completely disregards the views of Dubliners who submitted their views to the NTA in their sham “consultation”. Senator McDowell said.

“The BusConnects project is seriously flawed.

“The NTA, however, continues to forge ahead with over-engineered plans to run roughshod through our villages and city centre.

“Answers are now needed about why implementation of these plans continues while Dubliners and their elected representatives are left outside the door.

“These plans are finalised without them.

“It looks as if the ‘consultation’ is really an exercise in spin.

“Two unelected bodies are going into private conclave about the fate of our suburbs and city centre. How does local government play any part of this?

“It makes a mockery of the Constitutional recognition of elected Local Authorities (Article 28A).”