Quality Bus Corridors.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 April 2004

Tuesday, 27 April 2004

Questions (608)

Paul McGrath

Question:

665 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Transport the percentage of commuters using cars versus buses, and bicycles where relevant, along the major quality bus networks before and after their completion. [11869/04]

Written answers

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

The annual joint monitoring exercise of the performance of quality bus corridors by Dublin Transportation Office, Dublin City Council and Bus Átha Cliath at canal cordon points, last carried out in November 2003, shows the following aggregate results on nine QBC routes:

Corridor	Mode	November 1997	November 2003	% change
Stillorgan	Car	5,794	3,323	–42.65
	Bus Passengers	1,787	6,058	+239
Blanchardstown	Car	5,963	5,561	–6.74
	Bus Passengers	4,573	6,668	+45.81
Lucan	Car	6,104	5,393	–11.65
	Bus Passengers	4,303	6,759	+57.08
Finglas/Swords	Car	5,678	5,000	–11.94
	Bus Passengers	5,670	7,611	+34.23
North Clondalkin	Car	1,555	1,405	–9.65
	Bus Passengers	2,079	2,879	+38.48
Malahide	Car	4,620	1,599	–65.39
	Bus Passengers	4,747	9,116	+92.04
Tallaght	Car	3,314	2,237	–32.50
	Bus Passengers	4,098	6,318	+54.17
Rathfarnham	Car	3,605	2,704	–24.99
	Bus Passengers	3,285	3,631	+10.53
Total	Car	36,633	27,222	–25.69
	Bus Passengers	30,542	49,040	+60.57

While the figures show the numbers of cars on each corridor, the monitoring exercise does not capture the numbers of occupants per vehicle.

My Department has confirmed with the Dublin Transportation Office that the canal cordon counts show the following patterns of cycle patronage on the main QBCs in the period 1998 to 2003:

QBC	% change
N11/ Stillorgan	+22
N3/Blanchardstown	+5
Lucan	–5
Finglas QBC	–3
Swords	–30
N4/North Clondalkin/Ballyfermot	+24
Malahide QBC	+4
N81/ Tallaght	+37
Rathfarnham	–28

Cycling on the recently constructed stretch of the R110, which will be commissioned as the south Clondalkin QBC, has increased by 46% between 2001 and 2003. These figures are based on the canal cordon counts conducted in November, and are unlikely to be representative of cycling all year round.