Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I sympathise with much of what he said but the remedy is in our hands. Let me make two statements which all sides of this House can agree upon. We need to transform public transport in Dublin, and we need to consult with communities as we embark upon that transformation. I understand the clash portrayed between communities and commuters and, although I do not accept the point, I understand the argument that there is a conflict between them and their interests at certain hours of the day. I sincerely hope those are not the only two points of agreement today but if they are to be, at least they are fundamental to our discussion.

BusConnects is designed to transform our bus system and our cycling network, as the Deputy referred to. It will radically increase the number of bus services available and radically improve the journey times for passengers on those services. It will deliver approximately 200 km of largely segregated cycling tracks and lanes. BusConnects will transform the lives of Dubliners and the city itself, and that transformation will be for the better. That is the ambition of this project, and that ambition forms an integral part of Project Ireland 2040. Everyone in this House knows we need to transform public transport.

If we are going to make Dublin the type of sustainable, liveable city we all want it to be, then better public transport and better cycling and walking infrastructure need to be at the heart of the city. As I said in the House just last week on another matter, this type of major transformative project will always cause an impact. The ambition - indeed the stated intention - is that this impact will ultimately be positive, but along the way there will be temporary disruptions and inconveniences. That is why we need to engage with communities and citizens throughout the process. We must hear their views and listen to their concerns, and that is exactly what the NTA has been doing all along as it develops BusConnects.

The NTA first consulted with citizens on these proposals way back in 2015 as it drafted the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. That strategy first set out the ambition to overhaul our bus network and ensure more Dubliners have greater access to better bus services than ever before. Since the launch of BusConnects, the NTA has engaged in an extensive consultation process with citizens and community groups across the city. I know there are some who allege this consultation has not been sufficient but it has been a significant in terms of its scale, reach and the depth of engagement. A wealth of information has been published online and in the press for each and every one of the 16 corridors, as well as a significant volume of detail provided last summer on the proposed new network as it was first published.

Even more importantly from my perspective, there has been active and sustained personal engagement with communities and citizens across the city to explain the proposals but also, of course, to listen to people's views. The NTA holds local information sessions during each consultation period for each for the corridors, including the ones referred to by the Deputy. In addition, local community forums have been established, or will be established, for each of the corridors, which seek to bring together community groups to discuss issues of common interest. On top of all that, the NTA has written to each and every individual property owner who might be personally impacted by the proposals and has offered a one-to-one meeting to explain, in person and in detail, the implications, the timelines and the process involved. Let me be clear that the NTA is engaging with local communities as it embarks upon this transformation. I reiterate that this is the start of a process. This is why the NTA is seeking people’s views.

I want to see a bus system that connects more Dubliners to more job opportunities and more social and leisure activities and saves Dubliners up to 40% to 50% of their time on their bus journey, time saved that they can spend doing what they want to do and not sitting in traffic.

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