Cycling group says NTA must improve cycle facilities before start of new bus network

The National Transport Authority (NTA) needs to work with local authorities to improve cycle facilities before implementing a new bus network design, the Dublin Cycling Campaign has said.

The campaign group said the NTA must ensure that all roads which will carry buses for the first time or that will see a large increase in buses under the BusConnects proposals have the appropriate cycling infrastructure.

In its submission to the NTA, the group noted a number of roads that would see large increases in buses that are outside of the Core Bus Corridor Project, which involves upgrading 16 core routes and cycle lanes into the city.

In particular, the group noted Cuffe Street in the city centre which currently caters for no buses but under the proposed plans would see it cater for the F spine (a bus every eight minutes, five minutes at peak) along with the number 7 route (every 10 minutes, eight minutes at peak).

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The Cromwellsfort Road in Walkinstown would see an increase from four buses to 12 per hour in each direction.

Dublin Cycling Campaign said it welcomed the proposed network design, and “encourages its implementation with detailed consideration of the needs of cyclists”.

“We encourage the NTA to work with local authorities to improve cycling conditions on roads where bus frequencies will increase,” it said. “Many of the streets that will see higher frequencies are not affected by the proposed Core Bus Corridor Project so must be handled through separate initiatives.”

Orbital route options

The group noted the proposed network design gave people orbital route options that avoid the city centre. “This will mean fewer half-empty buses in the city centre, which will reduce the number of conflicts between buses and cyclists in the city centre.”

The NTA said cycling infrastructure for the city, including streets listed by the Dublin Cycling Campaign, was being implemented under the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan (2013).

A revised network is due to be published by the NTA by the middle of next year, and a further round of public consultation will begin. The new network is expected to be rolled out by early 2020.

Property owners who may lose part of their front gardens under the Core Bus Corridor Project will be notified from next month, and a separate public consultation process will run until the middle of next year.

Construction of new lanes would not begin until 2021, and pending approval from An Bord Pleanála.