The proposed Dublin bus network redesign has been out for public comment for about a month. It’s very important that Dubliners learn about the plan (there are many ways to do this) and then to comment on it before the end of September.
Sadly, a great deal of false or misleading information is out there. Falsehoods appeared on social media within minutes after the report was posted, long before anyone could have read it. Then, a major bus drivers’ union distributed a table that claims to describe the plan, but whose real effect is to cause needless confusion and panic. For example, it describes existing route 140 as “gone” even though every segment of that route continues to be served, mostly at higher frequencies, in the new plan.
We’ve put out more accurate information, including a detailed route-by-route table and interactive maps that help you see how an existing route would be replaced, and how the network expands where you could go on public transport.
But of all the falsehoods being spread, the biggest is that NTA has “decided” to implement the plan. Many people are outraged because NTA “decided on” the plan without consulting them.
The answer is: NTA is consulting you now. That is what the draft plan is for, to put ideas out there for people to respond to. Nothing has been decided. What you tell us now will guide what happens next.
So again:
- Read my overview of the plan here.
- Explore the plan here (busconnects.ie), or at one of the meetings (check back for more to come).
- If you have a specific objection to the plan, use the survey to explain that objection.
- There’s no need to attack the whole plan unless you hate the whole plan. We may have gotten something wrong in your neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean the whole plan is a bad idea.
Again big ideas of the whole plan are:
- a much simpler, more frequent network on which more people can get to more places sooner …
- which requires a few people to interchange where they now have a direct bus …
- and which sometimes requires a little more walking, though almost never over 400m.
If you hate these ideas, you should definitely oppose the whole plan. (Look at Chapter 5 of our report if you want to understand why these things are connected. )
But meanwhile, we need everyone’s detailed feedback and comments, so that we can make the plan better. Start here.
Did my masters thesis on integration in Dublin’s transport network and the key finding was that the bus network is overly complicated so this would be a great improvement.
I will say however that I don’t think provision of transport interchanges will solve the problem as they are viewed as unreliable (rightly or wrongly) and will eventually lead to direct routes being reinstated on top of the new routes creating an even more complex system. While the idea of spines is absolutely brilliant, they should be extended further and used instead of some local routes.
The identification of bottlenecks/ anomalies in the network should be addressed as part of this. For example the provision of a bus gate between Littlepace and Hunterwoods would provide a more direct service to Blanchardstown from both these areas and potentially onto the city centre.
It is also a little worrying that the best graphics for Busconnects are from someone external to the project who has demonstrated how the new routes will work. I have seen his work previously and personally think he should be employed by the NTA as he knows his stuff. the maps presented by the project are confused as colour coding should be by spine rather than frequency as this makes it easier to track. i get why you did it but it makes it hard to follow lines.
Dublin Bus is a bus operator providing services in Dublin. It is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The company carried 139.4 million passengers in 2017.
Can you tell me please when was the last time you have been in Dublin and when you have used our public transport system??? … I am extremely curious.
I’ve been in Dublin about 2 months total over about 2 years. I have lost count of the number of bus routes I’ve ridden, and my colleagues have ridden many more.
I hope at least there’s fare integration so no-one has to pay more a journey to the CBD than they do now. This has historically been a major problem with UK and Irish public transport systems – different buses, operators and modes have completely different fares and tickets for one aren’t valid on another.