It became apparent that there was very little awareness amongst the general public regarding the scale and implications of Bus Connects and the Core Bus Corridors, and specifically, how they could affect Terenure, Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Rathgar, Rathmines, Harold’s Cross and Kimmage.
The aim of this website is to share information about the proposals and how it will affect people within these areas.
What is Bus Connects

The problem with Bus Connects is that it will change the physical, economical, historical and social environment of our older suburbs forever. The NTA has taken a template and tried to make it fit everywhere, even in places that aren’t suitable. The project will change the streetscapes, it will change the villages, it will change the way communities operate and circulate. It will turn communities into corridors.

Here are some of the concerns about the project and the process:

• Limited traffic impact studies have been performed and have not assessed the effects of rerouting.
• No environmental impact studies have been performed to date.
• It’s excessive — a twenty-four-seven plan for a four-hour problem. Beyond rush hour, these roads are empty and traffic flows freely.  
• Minimal increases in passenger capacity means that citizens will still rely on the car for the majority of all journeys, especially where traditional bus routes and connectivity disappear under new network plans. 
• There are already considerable bus lanes along these routes. Simple enforcement and increasing bus priority signalling alone would create the biggest impact.
• No real time savings on many routes e.g. the NTA estimates that the 7-8 minute improvements in peak time travel along the Rathfarnham corridor will be achieved primarily by implementing priority signalling and cashless fares as there already significant bus lanes along the route.
• Loss of access, on-street parking and loading areas will devastate traders and businesses along the corridors. As business suffers, villages and neighbourhoods will decline.
• Cycling arrangements are unsatisfactory in many places.
• The proposed carriageway widths means that there will be significant land take from hundreds of private and commercial properties.
• Proposed road widening is unsuitable development for village areas and residential conservation areas.
• Inconsistent approach: some areas are being treated preferentially e.g in some circumstances priority signalling and one-way systems are proposed to minimize impact whereas in other areas crude road widening is being proposed.
• Traffic issues will be enormous due to road closures, re-routing and reassignment of bus lanes, with significant increase in volume on some roads and rat-runs and congestion on others.
• There will be a loss of property value, loss of amenity, loss of privacy, loss of parking spaces.
• There are implications for the environment with loss of trees, greenery, flora and fauna.
• The accuracy of NTA’s land acquisition costs is questionable as CPO orders will affect prime residential areas. Costs are likely to go well beyond NTA’s estimates.
• Once the landscape and fabric of the historical suburbs is changed, there is no going back. Streetscapes from Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco periods containing both listed and unlisted buildings deserve protection. We should never repeat the mistakes that ruined historic Dublin in previous decades.
• Limited exploration of alternatives e.g. introduction of congestion charges, use of counterflows. Limited use of intelligent bus priority signalling.
• The network re-design leaves many Dubliners worse off than before as many will have reduced frequency or even discontinuation of routes, particularly if they live away from the main spines.
• Multiple bus changes may be required to complete a journey which previously only required one bus.
• By the time this project is completed, it will most likely be obsolete and population growth may necessitate a more sustainable solution. 
• The NTA’s focus on Bus Connects fails to plan for long term strategies that will serve the south west city into the future.
• The process so far has been highly unsatisfactory. Piecemeal release of the network redesign and core bus corridors has diluted the public’s capacity to meaningfully engage with the consultation phase and has the effect of limiting opposition. 
• Public Consultation process has been confusing, and orchestrated to limit the ordinary citizen’s participation, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.