Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 December 2018
1. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the delay between the implementation of the BusConnects network redesign and the planned roll out of the new core bus corridors and lanes. [52436/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Acting Chairman for the riding instruction. What are the Minister's views on the delay between BusConnects phase 2, which relates to the bus spines and new corridors that we, on this side of the House, strongly support, and the implementation of phase 1, which relates to the network changes?
As the Deputy is aware BusConnects is one of the flagship investments to be delivered under Project Ireland 2040 and the ten year national development plan, NDP. The programme is made up of a number of different components, namely, building a new network of improved bus and cycle lanes; redesigning and expanding the network of bus services; introducing simpler fare structures and new ticketing technology; implementing a new bus livery; providing new and improved bus stops and shelters and new park and ride sites; and, importantly, transitioning the entire urban PSO bus fleet to low emission technologies.
The objective of these proposals under BusConnects is to improve bus journey times that will benefit many millions of passenger journeys each year; provide a bus service that is easier to use and understand; enable more people to travel by bus than ever before; and also provide a network of cycling infrastructure that will enable more people to cycle across the city.
Each of the components is significant in its own right while collectively they have the potential to transform how we use the bus in Dublin and in the other cities when rolled out there. The Deputy's question seems to suggest discord where none exists. All significant investment programmes such as BusConnects are made up of different components which can be progressed at different times and at different speeds.
With BusConnects Dublin, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has been running the consultation phase on two distinct components, first, the network redesign - this is about configuration of all the bus services that will run for passengers - and, second, the proposed new bus lanes. These are the dedicated road infrastructure that will form the 16 main corridors into the city on which the bus services, and cycleways, will run.
We all know of the significant public consultation that has taken place in recent months in relation to the bus network. There was a huge response to that consultation, with more than 30,000 submissions. The NTA is currently considering all submissions received with a view to issuing a revised network design for further public consultation in 2019.
It is envisaged that the implementation of the final network will take place in 2020. The network redesign can be implemented on the existing road network with some enhancements at key interchange locations which will be provided as we roll out the new network.
I know the Minister supports this, as do we on this side of the House. Phase 2 puts in place the infrastructure. We believe it makes more sense to implement phase 1 first, to put in place the corridors, and then change the network. According to a briefing we received last week by the NTA and Dublin Bus, some of these corridors will not be in place until 2027, the date for the construction completion and implementation of the metro. What will happen between now and then? There will be an increases in the bus fleet and a network redesign, about which the Minister and I both had issues, despite our support for the project from the start. What will happen between 2020 and 2027 as traffic congestion increases in the city and without the corridors to carry it? What are the Minister's plans for this?
I will try to answer the Deputy's question. Bus corridors are not the first thing to go in in this situation. The last major overhaul of the bus network in Dublin was implemented without any infrastructure developments accompanying it. The network redesign, which is the first thing, can be done in advance of the introduction of the new bus lanes. This will obviously take time. A large number of corridors, 16, will be brought in. It will not all be put in in 2027. There is a process which will involve many different applications, representations and consultations because they are controversial. It is not the case that we will plonk them down in 2026-2027, and the gap that the Deputy is suggesting is not the case.
Thank you, Minister.
There will be a planning process. There will be some compulsory purchase orders, which is regrettable but that will happen. There will be a large amount of public consultation to ensure that the corridors are put in the correct places and convenient to the people involved and the residents who will be affected. It will be a long process, not a short one, but it is for the convenience of the Deputy's constituents and my own.
That is the point - it is a long process. I would love if the Minster devoted the same energy as he does to traffic safety, which is laudable, into a dynamic intervention into this. People cannot be encouraged or expected to switch from cars to buses if the bus infrastructure is not in place.
This speaks to the matter that arises time and again. I raised it yesterday with respect to the policing of bus corridors and the Minister did not particularly respond on any initiatives. This is the kind of matter that should keep the Minister and me up at night thinking of solutions for the intermediate term. It will be ten years before that bus corridor network is filled. How can we hope to encourage drivers to switch from cars to bus services if there are no corridors in place and if the project is not to be completed until 2027? That will lead to completely obstacle-free routes, leaving buses as essentially a Luas tram on rubber wheels, but drivers will have to wait for ten years until the entire infrastructure is built.
I would like the Minister to take a real leadership role in pushing this on and meeting representatives of the National Transport Authority, NTA, to make it happen as quickly as possible. We must get the compulsory purchase orders and a couple of eggs will have to be broken to make this omelette but we must get the NTA to push this through. The Minister should devise some intermediate solutions to encourage drivers to switch from cars to public transport.
I appreciate the sense of urgency displayed by the Deputy and I also have that sense of urgency. He should not be under the impression that nothing will happen with bus corridors in the next decade. A National Transport Authority-led public consultation on four of its new bus lanes in Dublin started on Wednesday, 14 November, as the Deputy is aware. It runs until early next year. The corridors are Clongriffin to the city centre, Swords to the city centre, Blanchardstown to the city centre and Lucan to the city centre. As I stated, there are to be 16 corridors in total and consultations on the next six will start in January and run until April. Consultations on the final six will start in February and run until May. Phasing the consultations will allow for the appropriate level of engagement with property owners and communities along each route. It is really important that these consultations are given time and space. Nobody wants to see these bus corridors become invasive or an impediment to people's daily lives. We want to see as much accord, agreement and consent as possible given to the process, and it will take time. The idea that they will not happen until 2027 is wrong and the consultation processes are beginning already. The processes will go on and they will be phased in. They will not all happen in parallel as that is not necessary.
