Residents unaware of major Northside transport options

A LOCAL councilor says over 95 per cent of Northside residents are unaware of major transport proposals that could put an underground tunnel beneath Glasnevin Cemetery.

The proposals are the end result of the Fingal North Dublin Transport Study that was carried out last year to identify the best long term public transport solution to connect Dublin City Centre, Dublin Airport and Swords.

Following the study transport experts came up with six preferred options involving combinations of DART, Luas, Metro and bus services that were put out for public consultation before Christmas.

Two of the proposals involve tunneling under Glasnevin Cemetery. A rail link from Drumcondra to Dublin Airport would burrow under the cemetery, the Botanic Gardens and Ballymun while an extension of the Luas Cross City from Cabra to Swords would also go beneath the historic graveyard.

The Transport Study report acknowledges that tunneling under the cemetery where over 1.5 million people are buried would be

“a sensitive issue

?.

However, Cllr Noel Rock (FG) says recent polling carried out in the Santry and Glasnevin shows that most residents didn’t know about the transport plans, or the possibility that there could be a tunnel under Glasnevin Cemetery.

“The polling informed me that over 95 per cent of people, when asked, were unaware of this consultation period, the North Dublin Transport Study and the six options that were set out,

? stated Cllr Rock.

“This is deeply concerning and I believe the NTA should have done more to publicise this process.

“The decisions taken as a consequence of this study could have serious repercussions for decades. I made my submission having given the issue a great deal of thought.

?

Last week Cllr Rock invited representatives from the NTA, the RPA and Glasnevin Trust to a public meeting at the Comet Pub in Santry to discuss the issue with locals.

“We should not allow local people to be disconnected from decisions that will have a big impact on them and their families,

? he said.

“I believe it is absolutely crucial that any decision undertaken must ensure the entire North West region of Dublin is taken into consideration.

“There is a huge potential for development to take place here, and it poses great opportunities for social mobility and connecting both Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 to the City Centre, Swords and the airport in a meaningful and all-inclusive way.

“Similarly, any decision including the North West of the city also gives commuters here a second mode of public transport to the City Centre, something the North West of Dublin City has been uniquely deprived of in recent years.

?

Glasnevin Cemetery has so far not commented publically on the plans with a spokesperson only confirming they were reviewing the study.

Cllr Rock and Dublin North West TD, Róisín Shortall (Ind), both asked Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe if he would extend the deadline for the consultation, which ran from December 8 to January 19.

In a recent Dail question she asked if the minister was satisfied that the consultation was held over the Christmas and new year period without direct contact with residents affected.

The minister replied that he didn’t intend to extend the deadline.

“Further consultation opportunities will take place as the work progresses on the preferred option over the year, either as a stand-alone consultation or as part of a wider draft Greater Dublin Area Strategy which the NTA proposes to also progress this year,

? he added.

A copy of the transport study is available online at www.nta.ie.