Deadline looming for BusConnects plan

NORTHSIDERS are being urged to have their say on the proposals to radically change local bus routes before the deadline expires.

The NTA’s BusConnects plan aims to streamline bus services across the city making them faster and more frequent for most passengers.

The proposals will see buses using main spines that run through the city and connect with orbital and local routes. Buses will run every four to eight minutes along each spine and the NTA says there will be frequent local and orbital routes feeding into them, meaning passengers will never be waiting long.

The cost of travelling on the new network will be determined by time instead of distance, with 90-minute fares covering a journey using a combination of bus, DART and Luas.

A short distance fare will also be available. People currently paying a €2.15 fare for a single journey of 6-13 stops are expected to see an increase of around 20c while longer distance fares will decrease by about the same amount.

However, some politicians including Dublin West TD, Jack Chambers (FF), aren’t convinced the changes will benefit their constituencies.

Deputy Chambers has hosted public meetings in Clonee, Castleknock, Blanchardstown and Tyrrelstown to discuss the proposals.

“This is a radical plan that looks likely to have an adverse impact on the provision of Dublin Bus services across Dublin West,” he said.

“If introduced, there will be an overall reduction in both frequency and connectivity. In particular, there will be a loss of connectivity from Dublin 15 to the city centre, the Southside of the capital and also Dunboyne.

Under the proposals for Dublin 15, Blanchardstown Shopping Centre will be the primary point where all routes meet. From there, buses will run every 7.5 minutes all day and every five minutes at peak hours along the B spine that extends directly to the city centre and UCD.

The plans say that areas that currently have infrequent direct service to the city centre will instead be served by more frequent local routes into Blanchardstown Centre.

However, Deputy Chambers isn’t convinced it will improve transport for all in the area.

“The popular number 37 number bus will no longer serve the south side of the city while there will be far fewer direct routes meaning passengers and commuters will need to take one bus to Blanchardstown and hop on another to reach their destination,” he said.

In Ballymun and Glasnevin, Cllr Noeleen Reilly (IND), has also organised meetings about the BusConnects plans.

“There will be no bus between Ballymun and Finglas,” she said, urging locals to voice their concerns.

“A lot of people work in each area, send their children to school there or use the post offices.”

Cllr Reilly has also collected signatures from residents in Wadelai to save the bus service in the area.

“Under Bus Connects people living in Wadelai and Hillcrest will have no buses going through their estate,” she said.

“A large number of residents are senior citizens who rely on the bus to get about.”

Signatures are also currently being collected to save the 40D bus in Finglas West, used by locals to access Finglas village, and from there the N2 and Dublin city.

“If the proposal goes ahead, it would mean a 20 minute walk to the medical centre in the village in all kinds of weather. It would take even longer to get to the 140 bus on the N2,” one local told Northside People.

Labour Party Spokesperson for Urban Regeneration, Joe Costello, said it was essential for local communities to make submissions to the NTA detailing their views and concerns.

“There are many potential downsides to the BusConnects scheme with changed routes, bus transfers, one-way traffic, truncated gardens and new bus livery challenging the visually impaired,” he said.

More details on the proposed changes can be found online at busconnects.ie. The closing date for submissions to the proposals is September 28.