Councillor proposes moving Parnell Place bus station to Kent Station to create a single Cork transport hub

A CITY councillor is proposing the transfer of the Cork’s main bus station to Kent Station to free up city centre land for housing development.

City Councillor Tim Brosnan told the Evening Echo that the city’s bus services would be better served if the main bus station for the city was moved from its current location at Parnell Place to sit alongside the train station on the Lower Glanmire Road.

“If I had my way with CIE, I’d take the bus service away from Parnell Place and put it in the train station.

“That would pave the way for a significant development of apartments at Parnell Place, which would increase the number of people living in the city centre, which in turn would boost business for retailers in the city.”

He also added that such a move, possibly including the relocation of the bus stops currently at St Patrick’s Quay, would aid the council’s traffic movement strategy.

Currently, the strategy has seen Patrick Street become car-free at certain times of the day, while Bridge Street and MacCurtain Street are to be made two-way.

The councillor has stated that if his suggestion were implemented, it would also allow St Patrick’s Quay to be made two-way, thus contributing to the effectiveness of traffic decongestion plans.

Additionally, this would effectively transform Kent Station into a Cork transport hub. The city’s main train station and bus station would be located in the same area, which Mr Brosnan says would be considerably more efficient.

Some citizens have come out against the idea of restricting traffic through Patrick Street in favour of buses. The so-called ‘Pana ban’ has been hotly debated in points that would have implications for future traffic modernisation propositions for the city, such as Brosnan’s.

In the past, Councillor Brosnan and other councillors agreed with calls for free bus transport in Cork city, citing the model’s success in several major cities across the world and particularly Europe.