Dublin motorists will lose more road space as authorities begin work on 11 new quality bus corridor (QBC) projects in the next four months. Last week two schemes reached the public consultation stage and over the next two weeks two more will enter the process. Patrick Logue reports
A key point in this phase is whether the new QBCs will be 24-hour lanes, barring normal traffic at any time, or the current 12-hour schemes from 7am to 7pm. A third option, restricting traffic during peak hours is a possibility.
Conor Faughnan of AA Ireland says that a 24-hour corridor is "to some degree redundant. There's no point enforcing it unnecessarily out of pig-headedness. However, during times when one could argue for car use there isn't traffic congestion anyway."
The 24-hour system favours compliance, he admits, "but generally speaking the 12-hour option is the best solution with a two-hour window" after the morning rush for cars and delivery vehicles.
Declan Martin of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce said his members "by and large support the QBC project". A recent survey of members showed they believed QBCs worked.
"The Stillorgan route is often seen as the jewel in the crown," says Martin, "but there are some anomalies - a taxi carrying one person can use a bus lane, but a hackney carrying three people cannot."
Nine projects giving extra priority to buses are already in the process of consultation. In the next two weeks the Dun Laoghaire orbital route between Dundrum and Blackrock, and the extension of the Blackrock QBC from Merrion Gates and Dun Laoghaire will be advertised for public consultation.
Work is already in progress implementing additional bus priority on corridors in Phibsboro, on the Long Mile Road/Drimnagh Road/Nangor Road route, on the Fonthill Road/Belgard Road, on Kill Avenue in Dun Laoghaire, in the Swords area, on St John's Road/Con Colbert Road near Heuston Station, and in St Stephen's Green.
The Quality Bus Network project office, set up early last year, is implementing the schemes as part of the Dublin Transportation Office's Platform for Change strategy. QBCs give maximum priority to public transport at the expense of private motorists.
Ciarán De Burca of the project office says the current phase of work is part of an ongoing process. "We're looking to put 400 kilometres of bus priority routes in place," he says. The target is to achieve this by the end of 2006 or the start of 2007.
At the moment nine QBCs run from Lucan, Malahide, Swords, Finglas, Blanchardstown, North Clondalkin, Tallaght, Rathfarnham and on the Stillorgan dual carriageway. There are also disjointed ones on the route from south Clondalkin to Cork Street.
Dublin's QBCs represent "a mixed bag" of success, says Faughnan of the AA. "It has to be said, they have worked well for the city, but they represent a mixed bag. Some are excellent, others are ropey.
"Motorists accept we have to provide an alternative to car use. But the lack of park-and-ride facilities is a shameful omission. It's a shocking indictment of all concerned."
He believes current QBCs offer a "reasonable choice" but it's unfair to those who live too far to access them. "Motorists are trapped in their cars. They are compelled to become a part of Dublin's traffic problem" because there is not one park-and-ride facility in the city.
Although authorities in Dublin have been talking about park-and-ride for at least the past 10 years, there are still no firm plans. De Burca says a facility is being "considered" for Navan, Co Meath. A similar facility is being talked about to operate alongside the N4 QBC route leading west out of the city centre.
"Park-and-ride is very expensive," adds De Burca. "It's something we need to walk into with our eyes wide open."
Meanwhile, in reply to a Dáil question last week, the Minister for Transport defended the bus-lane ban on motorbikes.
"I have received representations about hackney, limousines and motorcyclists. I don't have any immediate proposals on extending access to bus lanes to other road users," he said.
"However, as I have indicated on previous occasions in this House, I will review the question when the number of bus lanes has doubled."
At present regulations generally limit the use of bus lanes to buses and, in the case of with-flow bus lanes, to cyclists. Taxis can also use the bus lanes "when they are being used in the course of business".