Latest news with #BusConnects
Dublin Live
4 days ago
- Dublin Live
Dublin Bus announce extension of new bus route which will link up Bray with Luas
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Dublin Bus have announced the extension of the new L14 bus route, which will link up Bray and Shankill with Cherrywood and the Green Line Luas. The extended service will begin operating this Sunday. The route change comes after much local consternation with the recent new BusConnects rollout in the area in January, which left Bray and Shankill without a direct route to Cherrywood and a link up with the Luas. The route, which previously just served local roads between Palermo and the Southern Cross in Bray, has now doubled in length, and will serve Shankill and Loughlinstown before heading to Cherrywood. It will also now serve the emerging area of Laughanstown, where a lot of new homes are currently being built. There is no change to the route's timetable, meaning the route will continue to operate every half an hour seven days a week, offering 35 return services Monday to Friday, 32 return services on Saturdays, and 30 return services on Sundays and public holidays. The route will now also provide a link between the Luas and the Dart at Bray station. Director of Public Transport Services at the National Transport Authority Jeremy Ryan said: 'Building on the success of the initial launch of the L14 under Phase 6A of BusConnects in January, we've taken on board valuable customer feedback highlighting the need for stronger onward connectivity. In response, we're pleased to announce that Route L14 will now extend to serve Cherrywood, Shankill, and connect with the Luas Green Line – making the serviced more accessible and convenient for our passengers.' Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Construction contract for first BusConnects corridor to be signed next month
The construction contract for the first new bus corridor under the BusConnects programme in Dublin is due to be signed next month, according to the National Transport Authority (NTA) . Construction of the first two corridors had been due to start this autumn, but it is understood the NTA now expects to be in a position to move forward at an earlier stage. The first corridors to get under way will be the Liffey Valley to city centre route and the Ballymun/Finglas to city centre scheme. Representatives of the NTA, including its interim chief executive Hugh Creegan , will appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee on Wednesday. READ MORE They are due to tell the committee that planning consent has been received from An Bord Pleanála for all 12 BusConnects corridors, though judicial reviews have been initiated against some of these approvals. [ Final BusConnects corridor secures planning permission Opens in new window ] The construction contract for the first corridor is to be signed in June, their opening statement to TDs says. The construction of all of the 12 corridors could impact on more than 700 properties, according to the latest estimates from the NTA, with more than 3,000 trees potentially felled and 827 parking spaces lost. Separately, the NTA will tell the committee that work is ongoing to 'further develop and refine the design' of MetroLink and to prepare tender documentation for the three major contracts that will deliver the overall project. 'It is understood that the Government will be considering the MetroLink project during the preparation of the new National Development Plan,' the NTA's opening statement says. [ Dublin's new bus routes: How are you affected by new services replacing 46A and others? Opens in new window ] 'Assuming its inclusion in the new national plan, then, subject to approval by An Bord Pleanála during this year, and assuming no delays due to judicial review proceedings, tendering for the construction work could commence next year, with construction commencing about 18 months later.' The NTA will also say the construction of Luas Finglas is dependent upon 'the outcome of the planning process and the availability of funding under the new National Development Plan'. A railway order application was submitted to An Bord Pleanála in November 2024.
RTÉ News
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Changes to how cars travel round Dublin city centre come into effect
The second phase of the Dublin City Transport plans has come into effect, changing the way private vehicles can travel around parts of the city centre. However, the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) said the measures introduced as part of the plan are causing problems for its members and called for an exemption for those with accessible parking permits. From this morning, the left turn from Westland Row to Pearse Street is now restricted to public transport and cyclists only. Private vehicles can instead turn right onto a new two-way system between Pearse Street and Sandwith Street Lower. Senior Executive engineer with Dublin City Council's Transport Department Claire French said the measures will help prepare for future transport projects. "This is to prioritise public transport in the area," she said. "We've reduced the amount of cars in the core of the city centre by 6,000 a day." "Westland Row is going to become more important as BusConnects rolls out. "We also want to reassign some of the space on Pearse Street for walking and cycling and for greening and then we have other projects like DART Plus and Metro North, which are further down the line, but are going to introduce a lot more pedestrians into the Pearse Street, Tara Street area. "So we want to prepare for that." She said the Transport Plan has already reduced private car traffic and improved public transport times in the city centre "We've reduced the amount of cars in the core of the city centre by 6,000 a day. "We've increased the number of buses. Footfall figures are up. "So we've met our initial objectives and we hope this is a continuation of this as we move through the plan." IWA calls for exemption for accessible parking permit holders However, the restriction on private vehicles is causing difficulties for the IWA's members, it said. IWA National Advocacy Manager Joan Carthy has called for accessible parking permit holders to be exempt from the measures. "The big problem is the parking spaces and how we actually manage to access them," she said. "Before we had been told that spaces wouldn't be moved or removed and then after the launch that changed. "What's happening is we're being pushed further and further away from being able to use Dublin city independently and public transport doesn't work for people with disabilities." A consultation period is now underway for the next phase of the Dublin City Transport Plan which will see the pedestrianisation of Parliament Street. When that measure comes into effect in late June it will be the third significant change to how private cars access the city centre in less than a year.
RTÉ News
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
More limits on cars in Dublin city centre come into effect
The second phase of the Dublin City Transport plans has come into effect, changing the way private vehicles can travel around parts of the city centre. However, the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) said the measures introduced as part of the plan are causing problems for its members and called for an exemption for those with accessible parking permits. From this morning, the left turn from Westland Row to Pearse Street is now restricted to public transport and cyclists only. Private vehicles can instead turn right onto a new two-way system between Pearse Street and Sandwith Street Lower. Claire French, Senior Executive engineer with Dublin City Council's Transport Department said the measures will help prepare for future transport projects. "This is to prioritise public transport in the area," she said. "We've reduced the amount of cars in the core of the city centre by 6,000 a day." "Westland Row is going to become more important as BusConnects rolls out. "We also want to reassign some of the space on Pearse Street for walking and cycling and for greening and then we have other projects like DART Plus and Metro North, which are further down the line, but are going to introduce a lot more pedestrians into the Pearse Street, Tara Street area. "So we want to prepare for that." She said the Transport Plan has already reduced private car traffic and improved public transport times in the city centre "We've reduced the amount of cars in the core of the city centre by 6,000 a day. "We've increased the number of buses. Footfall figures are up. "So we've met our initial objectives and we hope this is a continuation of this as we move through the plan." IWA calls for exemption for accessible parking permit holders However, the restriction on private vehicles is causing difficulties for the IWA's members, it said. IWA National Advocacy Manager Joan Carthy has called for accessible parking permit holders to be exempt from the measures. "The big problem is the parking spaces and how we actually manage to access them," she said. "Before we had been told that spaces wouldn't be moved or removed and then after the launch that changed. "What's happening is we're being pushed further and further away from being able to use Dublin city independently and public transport doesn't work for people with disabilities." A consultation period is now underway for the next phase of the Dublin City Transport Plan which will see the pedestrianisation of Parliament Street. When that measure comes into effect in late June it will be the third significant change to how private cars access the city centre in less than a year.
Irish Examiner
25-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cork's traffic congestion to worsen despite delivery of key public transport projects, analysis shows
The impacts from traffic congestion in Cork are bad and are going to get worse, with the economic cost set to hit almost €100m by 2040, the Department of Transport has said. Furthermore, even delivering key infrastructure projects like BusConnects may only ease congestion 'temporarily', as population and economic growth put greater demands on travel infrastructure in the city. The department's strategic research and analysis division has published a new paper on the economic cost of congestion in Ireland's 'regional cities', looking particularly at Cork, Galway and Waterford. It builds on a previous study of Dublin, which projected the economic cost in the capital could increase four-fold to more than €1.5bn by 2040. 'The results indicate that congestion will increase significantly over the coming decades across the regional cities, primarily driven by population and economic growth,' it said. 'Investment in transport infrastructure, particularly large-scale public transport projects, will likely lead to a reduction in the rate of increase in the cost of congestion. However, increased congestion is an unavoidable consequence of continued economic and population growth. In Cork, it estimated the cost of congestion across the metropolitan area in 2022 was €57.5m. This is forecast to rise to €97.2m by 2040. Even under a lower growth scenario, the cost is expected to hit €75m. However, the Department of Transport's estimates assume the key infrastructure elements of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy are delivered, such as BusConnects. 'Delays to the delivery of these projects will postpone the alleviation of congestion,' it said. However, even delivering on these projects will not provide a great deal of relief. The report said: 'In the Cork Metropolitan Area, population and economic growth will be likely to generate more demand for commuting trips. 'This results in the growth of congestion costs in the morning and evening peaks over the period as well as overall growth of congestion in this area. Deliveries of public transport and road infrastructure could reduce congestion temporarily, however, population and economic growth will likely generate demand that exceeds infrastructure provision.' While in 2022, heavy traffic congestion was mainly observed in junctions near the city centre, this congestion is likely to spread over the east, west and north of the city centre in future, it said. In the Galway Metropolitan Area, the cost of congestion was €35.3m in 2022 but this is expected to hit €106.9m in 2040. Meanwhile, in Waterford, it suggested congestion came at a cost of €5.8m in 2022 and is forecast to rise to €22.4m in 2040. In terms of the cost of congestion per capita, the projected cost in Galway is almost triple the amount in Cork, at €891 per person by 2040 compared to €309 in Cork. The department said a greater cost per capita suggests each resident is more affected by congestion, either through longer travel times, increasing fuel consumption or worsening wellbeing outcomes. In Waterford, the cost per capita from congestion is set to rise a staggering 238% by 2040 compared to just 20% in Cork, which the report said is reflective of the wide-ranging investment in public transport in Cork. 'This demonstrates that large scale investments in sustainable modes can slow down the growth of congestion and that further proactive measures in improving sustainable modes and effective policies to control demand increases should be followed to keep congestion under control,' it said. 'Tackling congestion is essential to prevent the deterioration of people's wellbeing and economic productivity in regional cities.'
