Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Green Party is broadly in favour of BusConnects. However, while I do not agree with the motion to throw the baby out with the bath water, I have a few specific observations from my constituency of Dublin Rathdown. Churchtown, Nutgrove and Ballinteer have been massively underserved by public transport services in recent years. With the elimination of the 48A, 14A and 16A bus routes, the 14 bus route is the only one which serves Churchtown, Nutgrove and the north end of Ballinteer in the direction of town, with the 17 and 75 bus routes running east-west. There is a presumption that everyone in this area can use the Luas, but that is not the case, given the distances involved, in particular for the elderly and those with impaired mobility. With the revised BusConnect routes, the area will still only be served by the east-west S6-S7 route and a new 14 bus route which cuts out Churchtown and Ballinteer south of the Barton Road East roundabout at Nutgrove, as far as the roundabout at the junction of Broadford Road and Stone Masons Way. The residents of Hillview, Llewellyn, Marley Court, Meadow Mount, Meadowbrook, Beaumont Avenue, Holylands, Landscape, Whitehall and Whitebarn have again been forgotten. At the very least, services on the 14 bus route must be more frequent and further and alternative options should be considered, in particular between the roundabout at Broadford Road and the roundabout at Barton Road East.

Residents in Sandyford village have concerns about the proposed new routes, as does the community in Kilternan which is currently served by the 44 bus route which allows access to town through Dundrum. The 44 bus service will be replaced by the 213 bus service from Kilternan to UCD. Given the importance of Dundrum as a hub for people throughout the area, it is surely the case that the people of Kilternan should continue to have a service to Dundrum. To that end, I recommend extending the 12 bus route all the way to Kilternan. It makes no sense for the proposed A3 route to extend to Balally Luas stop and then turn down Dundrum main street. No one lives along this stretch and the buses will further clog up the narrow street. Retaining the old 14 bus route from Wyckham roundabout along the Ballinteer Road would continue an important service for the people of Lynwood, Ludford, Ailesbury Lawn, Wyckham Park Road and the areas around the Willows.

The last issue I raise is a vital one for many in the area. There is still no direct service for people living in any residential part of Dublin Rathdown to St. Vincent's University Hospital. I suggest rerouting the S6-S7 service from Tallaght to Blackrock to St. Vincent's University Hospital instead.

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