Sir, – The feature on the M50 illustrated the problem for people in Dublin who need to cross the city, which is shaped like a C, with no routes across Dublin Bay other than through the centre (“Ireland’s busiest road: ‘The M50 is getting worse. I don’t think it is able to take any more’,” Weekend, March 14th).
Very few routes allow for crossing of the Liffey between the M50 or the East Link bridge. Priority needs to be given to public transport, which needs to flow through the city.
People from the north and south of Dublin need to be able to cross the city to access hospitals, work, visit family and friends, and engage in cultural and sporting activities. Ideally, they could do this on efficient public transport.
The provision of bus lanes and the restrictions on private car use has allowed Dublin Bus to improve connectivity through the city centre. However, the reduction of traffic on the quays and other streets has had a significant impact on traffic elsewhere. Congestion and pollution has shifted to places further out from the city centre.
RM Block
Dublin City Council is proceeding with a planning application for its vision for College Green, with the stated aim of providing a “connected and accessible city”. This is despite the fact 17 cross-city buses use this route to function effectively.
These routes serve areas which do not benefit from access to Luas or Dart. Large numbers of taxis and tourist buses also use it. There is not enough capacity on smaller streets to accommodate this traffic without causing significant congestion and delays to bus journeys.
The TFI BusConnects project has been hampered in its ambition to provide good public transport by the requirement to avoid using the Dame Street-College Green corridor. This was originally designed as a major thoroughfare to allow connectivity between the south and west of the city to the north and east. Closing it will create a large barrier stretching from the quays through Temple Bar and up to St Stephen’s Green.
Many of the new routes will rely on using the already severely-congested single-lane turn to Nassau Street and Kildare Street, which is frequently closed to traffic for demonstrations at Dáil Éireann.
We need realistic planning for public transport in Dublin to make it a viable option that gets people out of their cars and off the M50. The people behind this project need to get on the bus and experience the reality of life for the majority of Dublin commuters. – Yours, etc,
SÍLE UÍ LAIGHIN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
