Plan to cut Cork suburb section of BusConnects is ‘shortsighted’

Plans to scrap the Bishopstown section of BusConnects due to a possible overlap with the Cork Luas have been described as “shortsighted” by a Cork minister of state at the Department of Transport.

BusConnects Cork is set to transform Cork’s bus system into a higher-frequency, more reliable network, with over 90km of bus lanes in 11 sustainable transport corridors.

Last week, The Echo revealed that the National Transport Authority had contacted councillors to say the project will not include the section of STC F: Bishopstown to City, from the junction of Melbourn Rd/Curraheen Rd to the Western Rd/Mardyke Walk junction.

Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Coleman told The Echo the email he received “was the first we heard of it; there’s been little to no engagement”. He said he is the secretary of Bishopstown Business Association, which has engaged frequently with the NTA on the proposed bus improvements over the last number of years, yet it was not contacted about the issue.

He said he has been contacted in the last week by many people living on the south side of Bishopstown who will not be served by the Luas “if it goes ahead in its current format”.

“If you live in Curraheen and wanted to get on the Luas, the only way to do that is jump on a bus to Wilton Shopping Centre, so BusConnects would have been fantastic, allowing for much freer flowing traffic,” said Mr Coleman.

“I think there’s not been a whole lot of joined up thinking, they dropped the bus plans like a hot sausage, saying ‘the Luas is there, it’s grand’, but a huge portion of the population of Bishopstown will not be served by the new Luas line, should it go ahead.”

Minister of state at the Department of Transport and TD for the area, Jerry Buttimer, called the decision “shortsighted”, and said he had contacted the NTA asking them to continue with the STC as originally planned, as the Luas plans were still at a very early stage.

“It’s incumbent on the NTA to engage with everyone in Bishopstown.

“Bus services are critically important for areas that have seen huge growth in housing recently. We can’t wait for the Luas to do BusConnects, and it’s premature of the NTA to decide they’re not going to do this route anymore when they haven’t allowed for engagement on the proposed Luas route.”

The changes will also be problematic for students. The president of Munster Technological University’s student union, Richard Noonan, said that bus reliability improvement promised by BusConnects was needed as “traffic can be especially busy in the Bishopstown area”.

“This is a step in the wrong direction, as while the Cork Luas will be beneficial towards helping rise the current level of public transport for Cork city, scrapping the BusConnects route will only hinder those who would have benefited from it both during and after the establishment of the Cork Luas service.”

Labour senator Laura Harmon, party spokesperson for further and higher education, agreed that plans “must include improved bus connectivity alongside the future light rail.

“The Bishopstown area surrounding MTU is effectively a car park at peak times and college hours. The traffic congestion is a huge problem for residents in the area,” she said.

The corridor sees among the most bus journeys in Cork city currently, with the main route that traverses it, the 208 from Ashmount to Curraheen, running every 10 minutes at peak times, the most frequent city bus service.

A spokesperson for the NTA previously told The Echo that the decision to scrap part of the planned STC “remains subject to change up until the point that the BusConnects Cork City South West Sustainable Transport Corridors Scheme application is lodged with ACP.

“This decision follows close coordination between the Luas Cork and BusConnects Cork teams. The NTA has no alternative STC route.”