Another delay in BusConnects 6a rollout is “Very bad news for Dublin” according the the president of Dublin City University while a Senator has questioned why the full rollout was affected and a south side councillor has said people should be “absolutely livid”.
The BusConnects phrase 6a rollout includes the 24-hour Spine routes E1 and E2, the number 19 which replaces the Northside section of the current 11 bus, as well as eight local routes and two express routes.
The planned E spine routes include 24 hour service from Bray and Dún Laoghaire to Ballymun (at IKEA) and Northwood estate in Santry. Areas served along the routes include the N11/UCD, the city centre, Phibsborough, and Glasnevin.
But residents groups in Glasnevin opposed the changes which would see the 19 bus, the replacement for 11.
The higher frequency 19 route will start in Dublin Airport which has led to complaints that the bus would be full before it reaches the areas served by the 11 but the National Transport Authority has said that to counter this issue, some services will leave from the existing 11 starting point.
Complaints have also been made about the safety of the southern terminus for the route, Parnell Square. But people supporting the changes have said that passengers wishing to change buses for on-ward trips to the south city centre can do so in the suburbs.
Other complaints about the changes between the 11 and the 19 routes is that the latter is planned to have longer hours (seeing that as a negative) and that switching buses is harder for people with disabilities.
Proponents of the change point to overall improvements including the longer hours of service up to 24 hours, more frequent buses, a new link to the airport, an overall better planned bus system, and serve areas like Northwood which aren’t served or areas that aren’t served by 24 hour routes.
Daire Keogh, the president of Dublin City University, said the postponement was “Very bad news for Dublin, Business, and DCU students.”
He added: “24/7 service and BusConnects urgently needed.”
Senator Marie Sherlock (Labour) said: “Why is the NTA throwing the baby out with the bathwater? We want the 24 hour E spine service — particularly in the run up to Christmas.
She added: “There are major issues with the 11 bus changes which need to be resolved. But why defer all these changes?”
Cllr Lauren Tuite (Green Party) — who is a councillor for Killiney-Shankill, which the E spine is planning to go through — said in a video posted to Tiktok: “If you live in Dublin, you should be absolutely livid about this”.
She said that passengers usage on the already rolled out improved BusConnects routes has increased by 26% compared to less than 1% of an increase for other routes. Cllr Tuite said this is because the routes are more frequent, run for more hours, including some 24-hour routes, and are starting to serve more places as part of the wider network.
Cllr Tuite said when northside TD Gary Gannon (SocsDems), who started one of the “Save the number 11 bus” petitions, was “challenged on the impact of his political interference, he came out and said that we have to ‘stare into the whites of the eyes’ of the people who are going to be impacted by these decisions.” He made the comments to The Journal yesterday.
“But,” Cllr Tuite continued, “here’s the thing: I’m a Green Party councillor and like all Greens I went to the electorate with the express promise that I’d advocate for an effective public transport system — one based on evidence and planning and a consultation.”
She added: “So, I’ve no problem going to bat for BusConnects. It’s not fun when I get abuse from people on the doors or online but I’m not going to break my promise.”
In an email to public representatives yesterday, the NTA said: “We are emailing you to let you know that Phase 6A of the new bus network for Dublin under BusConnects, which was intended to be implemented on 8th December, will now be deferred until January of next year.”
“We believe that the short-term disruption that the changes would involve for some customers would be an unwelcome complication in the run-up to Christmas,” the authority said.
The NTA said that rescheduling of Phase 6A “will free up resources, allowing additional bus services, including additional night services, to operate over the Christmas period.”
The NTA added: “This will contribute to the city centre promotional campaign planned by Dublin City Council and businesses, and will support the retail and hospitality sector in the city and suburbs during the busy December period.”
