Core Bus Corridor Preferred Route. Third Round of Public Consultation November 2020.
BusConnects is the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) programme to greatly improve bus and sustainable transport services. It is a key part of the Government’s policies to improve public transport and address climate change in Dublin and other cities. Dublin is growing and needs a bus network that works for a developing city. The aim of BusConnects is to deliver an enhanced bus system that is better for the city, its people and the environment.
BusConnects is included in the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future" 2020, as well as within the following Government strategies:
The aim of BusConnects Core Bus Corridors is to provide enhanced walking, cycling and bus infrastructure on key access corridors in the Dublin region, which will enable and deliver efficient, safe, and integrated sustainable transport movement along these corridors.
Between November 2018 and May 2019 the National Transport Authority (NTA) carried out the first round of public consultation regarding proposals for the Emerging Preferred Routes of 16 Core Bus Corridors (CBC) across Dublin. During this first round of consultation we received 13,000 submissions in total. These submissions were reviewed and considered as part of the design process for the Preferred Route option for each corridor.
A second round of public consultation on the Preferred Route options commenced in March 2020 and continued until mid-April 2020. Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent Government restrictions the consultation continued due to the level of interest. The focus of public queries and submissions came through emails, post, phone conversations and online submissions as all the information was available on the BusConnects website for review.
It was decided in March that an additional third round of public consultation would take place in the latter part of this year to provide further opportunities for the public to review and submit feedback to the latest set of designs.
This document is one of 16, each dedicated to a single core bus corridor. The document provides a written description of the Preferred Route from start to finish with supporting maps. It includes all revisions made, if any, since the last round of public consultation. It also includes a revised timeline for the progress of the programme due to Covid-19 implications.
The brochures detailing the Emerging Preferred Route and the brochures from the second round of consultation earlier this year are available to view and download on our website www.busconnects.ie.
Definitions of the terminology used in the document can be found in chapter 4 of this this brochure.
Considerable design work has been continuing since the last round of consultation. This work includes the following:
Designs have progressed with further refinements being made to elements of each corridor such as junctions, alignments, bus stops, cycling and walking facilities, and urban realm features. Engagement with stakeholders is continuing including engagement with individual householders directly impacted. The developing design has been, and continues to be, informed by stakeholder engagement and further detailed surveys. These include the identification of underground services and detailed assessment of trees along the routes.
Draft Preferred Route Option Reports have been prepared for each CBC detailing the development of each corridor from the Emerging Preferred Route through to the draft Preferred Route Option. These draft “Preferred Route Option Reports” are being published as part of the public consultation and will be finalised following this third round of public consultation and the inclusion of feedback received. These draft reports are available to view and download on the website www.busconnects.ie.
As part of the intended planning application for each corridor, the NTA will be preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) in accordance with current Irish and European legislation. This document will identify the anticipated environmental effects of the scheme during both the construction and operational stages. This assessment is being undertaken by environmental specialists on behalf of the NTA. As part of this assessment, these specialists are undertaking studies of the current condition of the receiving environment within the identified corridor extents. This involves a combination of on-site surveys and desktop study of existing records. At the time of this public consultation, various surveys and studies are underway. The information collected will also be shared with the technical designers for consideration in the design decision making process for the infrastructure works.
Further details of the environmental assessment approach for each scheme are outlined in an individual corridor document called“Information on the Proposed Approach to Environmental Assessment”. This document gives a more in-depth description of the determination of the extents of anticipated impacts and how the cumulative impacts of adjacent core bus corridors and other construction projects will be assessed. These draft reports are available to view and download on the website www.busconnects.ie.
The transport assessment of the core bus corridor proposals is focussed on the “movement of people” rather than, solely, the “movement of vehicles”. In order to adequately determine the impact on public transport, active modes (walking and cycling), and general traffic, a comprehensive suite of transport models have been developed.
An extensive set of traffic counts were undertaken in late 2019 and early 2020 and this data, along with other sources, has been used to calibrate and validate the models to assist in the evaluation of the core bus corridors. On a strategic level, the Eastern Regional Model has been used to forecast the modal split for future years. At a more refined level, a Local Area Model has been developed to examine the potential displacement of traffic. In addition, detailed modelling is ongoing in terms of junction and corridor analysis tests and to quantify the effect on the movement of people through each junction and along the corridor itself.
Each EIAR will contain a section on the potential traffic and transport impacts associated with the construction and operational phases of the core bus corridors. This assessment will be informed by the following reports:
A draft, work-in-progress version of the “Transport Modelling Reports” for each core bus corridor, together with a summary of the work-in-progress strategic modelling results to-date, are being published as part of the public consultation and will be finalised following this third round of public consultation and the inclusion of feedback received. These draft reports are available to view and download on the website www.busconnects.ie.
In tandem with the technical design work on finalising the road alignment in the urban cross sections across the core bus corridors, planning has also progressed for refining the Urban Realm design proposals. These designs are being developed in consultation with the local authorities to ensure tie-in to existing schemes and initiatives. The NTA is focusing on finishing the layout of spaces, considering desire lines (how people want to move through spaces) and the placement of urban furniture (trees, bins, bollards, benches, bike stands, railings, etc.)
Urban Realm improvement opportunities along the routes present themselves through the civil/physical works needed to reach the BusConnects objective to provide bus priority, along with improved cycling and pedestrian facilities. All put together, the core bus corridors provide an opportunity for lots of continuous interventions that, together, can give a general citywide lift.
The Urban Realm improvement opportunities are spread out along the core bus corridors and need to respond to and reflect specific locality and context. In the design of the urban spaces we will be using appropriate materials and urban furniture that comply with standards for use, durability and maintenance as well as carbon footprint considerations.
Further details of the urban realm design approach can be found in a document called “BusConnects Urban Realm Concept Design” published as part of the public consultation. This document is available to view and download on the website www.busconnects.ie.
In tandem with the technical design work the designers will be starting the work of preparing the various maps and schedules of areas that are proposed to be acquired under the statutory compulsory purchase order process (CPO). The attached Maps in this brochure indicate Proposed New Boundaries (Possible Land Acquisition) represented by broken red lines. These boundaries are indicative of potential areas for permanent CPO, and are not yet finalised. As detailed plots are finalised the designers will be continuing to seek to meet those with an interest in the impacted areas.
In some cases there may also be a need to realign driveways and/or redo the landscaping of property front gardens, or reorganise business accesses and/or loading areas. Some of these works may be outside the permanent CPO area, and consequently there may be a need to put in place temporary arrangements to ensure access during construction to carry out necessary accommodation works. Similar to the permanent CPO development, the designers will be continuing to seek to meet those with an interest in the impacted areas.
Each corridor upgrade will take approximately 2 years to complete.
This brochure provides details of the proposed Preferred Route Option for this core bus corridor. These proposals are subject to a second non-statutory round of public consultation, and subsequent design refinement and environmental impact assessment, before a formal statutory application will be made by the NTA to An Bord Pleanála for approval
The project website www.busconnects.ie has a dedicated section for the Core Bus Corridor project. All previous emerging preferred route brochures are available on the website. Users can access the site to find out more about the project and download copies of the key documents.
We are inviting submissions in relation to the Preferred Route Options set out in this document. The closing date for submissions is stated on the website.
Written submissions and observations may be made by:
Following the third round of public consultation the NTA will finalise the Preferred Route Options for all sixteen corridors. The scheme designs will be finalised, transport and environmental impact assessments will be completed. This will culminate in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) for the scheme together with details of land to be acquired. This will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in 2021 for its consideration and determination. A formal statutory consultation process will be undertaken as part of that process.
The Blanchardstown to City Centre Core Bus Corridor (CBC) commences on the north side of the South Blanchardstown Road junction with the N3. The CBC proceeds on the R121 Blanchardstown Road South into the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. From a new terminus to the north-west of Blanchardstown Shopping Centre the CBC is routed onto the N3 Navan Road via the Snugborough Road junction, and follows the N3 and Navan Road as far as the junction with the Old Cabra Road. From here the CBC is routed along Old Cabra Road, Prussia Street and Manor Street to the junction with North Brunswick Street. The CBC is then routed via Blackhall Place as far as the junction with Ellis Quay and Arran Quay, where it will join the existing traffic management regime on the North Quays. Priority for buses is provided along the entire route, consisting primarily of dedicated bus lanes in both directions, with alternative measures proposed at particularly constrained locations.
The following paragraphs will describe each section of the CBC in more detail, identifying the key design revisions which have been incorporated into the design since the publication of the Preferred Route Option in March 2020.
The CBC commences on the north side of the South Blanchardstown Road junction with the N3. It is proposed to alter the existing off slip road from the N3 to the Old Navan Road, Mulhuddart from two general traffic lanes to one general traffic lane and one bus lane. This lane continues on to R121 Blanchardstown Road South over the N3. At the northern end of the bus corridor, the proposed design for cycle track and crossing facilities has been modified along the R121 north of Blanchardstown Town Centre. The bus lane is accommodated on the overbridge by changing the road layout to include a bus lane in each direction in addition to general traffic lanes.
The CBC proceeds on the Blanchardstown Road South towards the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre via the Blakestown Way junction - which is to be converted from a roundabout to a signal controlled junction. The existing northbound bus lane access on the northern corner of Blanchardstown Shopping Centre site (adjacent to Crowne Plaza Dublin Blanchardstown) will be maintained. The design has been revised to provide a continuous westbound cycle lane adjacent to the Crowne Plaza.
Within the Blanchardstown Centre site, it is proposed to upgrade the existing bus laydown area to a more formal bus terminus/interchange with improved passenger waiting facilities. South of the Shopping Centre, buses will be routed along the existing access road running to the east of the Blanchardstown Centre where dedicated bus lanes will be provided.
A modification of the existing roundabout junction on the Navan Slip Road to a fully signalised cross road junction is proposed, allowing for bus lanes through this junction in both directions. This modification will also allow for improved cycling, pedestrian and bus stop facilities. It is proposed to widen the road between the existing road (L3020) and the N3 Navan Road to accommodate these improved facilities.
Following this section it is intended to route the bus lane through the Snugborough Road junction. The proposed configuration for this junction is in line with proposals for the Snugborough Interchange Upgrade proposed by Fingal County Council. The proposed works involve the widening of the Snugborough Road bridge and the provision of additional traffic lanes on the L3020.
Following the Snugborough Road junction, the bus lane will be routed on to the N3 Navan Road. On the N3 it is proposed to maintain a continuous bus lane on the left lane of the carriageway in both directions. Emergency refuge laybys have been included.
Additional bus stops are intended to be provided to serve Mill Road and Blanchardstown Main Street. The bus lanes will then be directed onto the Connolly Hospital off-slip road onto the Navan Road over the M50, maintaining a continuous bus lane through this section.
It is proposed to provide a continuous bus lane in both directions on the roundabout over the M50. It is intended to provide additional bus stops at Auburn Avenue, The cycle track along the Navan Road adjacent to Castleknock Manor has been removed and Castleknock Manor has been designated as a Quiet Street to cater for cyclists, as well as vehicular traffic. This cycle facility will tie into the proposed Greater Dublin Area Proposed Cycle Network that will run along Castleknock Manor.
The bus lane will be directed up the on and off slip roads to provide access to the bus stops serving the Navan Road Parkway. The outbound traffic lanes will be rearranged from two general traffic lanes to one general traffic lane and one bus lane.
It is proposed to modify the Navan Road roundabout at Ashtown Road to a signal controlled roundabout - keeping the existing trees on the central island. At this junction, it is proposed to terminate the two-way cycle way (west of the junction) and to transition to a segregated cycle track on each side of the carriageway (east of the junction).
A general traffic lane and bus lane in both directions are to be provided along Navan Road, with one-way cycle tracks on both sides of the road. Proposed junction layouts include a right turn lane from Navan Road (westbound) to Kinvara Avenue. The previously proposed eastbound right turn lane into Baggot Road has been removed, although a right turn movement is allowed.
To facilitate the bus and cycle infrastructure improvements it is proposed to utilise limited land take at these approximate locations:
The indicative extents of this land take can be und in the Appendix of this brochure.
The traffic movement on Old Cabra Road will be limited to buses, taxis, local traffic and cyclists. City bound through traffic will be directed onto Cabra Road, into Phibsborough and onwards to the city centre. Outbound through traffic will be directed to Church Street, Constitution Hill, Phibsborough Road and back out along Cabra Road.
To provide an alternative route to and from the City Centre (along Cabra Road, North Circular Road, Infirmary Road and Conyngham Road), the design includes a proposed alteration to the junction at St Peters Church. This junction will be modified to allow right turns from Cabra Road to North Circular Road and left turns from North Circular Road onto Cabra Road.
Proposals to limit use of Old Cabra Road to local access traffic, buses, taxis and cyclists are as follows:
On Old Cabra Road, the extent of the northbound dedicated bus lane will be limited to an approximate 50m section just south of the Navan Road junction. It is proposed to include two one-way cycle tracks on either side along Old Cabra Road. Land take to accommodate these improvements has been reduced, but limited land take may still be required between Cabra Drive and the North Circular Road junction. The bus/ bicycle infrastructure will be accommodated within the existing road bridge width over the Heuston Station/Connolly Station railway line.
On Prussia Street between North Circular Road and the entrance to the Park Shopping Centre, the proposed road layout has one southbound general traffic lane; one northbound ‘straight- ahead only’ lane for local traffic, cyclists and buses travelling to Old Cabra Road; and one left turn lane from Prussia Street to North Circular Road. The straight-ahead movement from Prussia Street to Old Cabra Road will be reserved for buses, taxis, cyclists and local traffic access only, and right turns from Prussia Street to North Circular Road will be banned.
The design avoids the need for land-take on the approach to the North Circular Road on Prussia Street at Drumalee Road. The future access location to TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus is as per the Grangegorman Development Agency’s latest masterplan.
On Prussia Street, a traffic lane is provided in both directions which will allow local traffic to access Prussia Street south. The revised proposal now includes a Bus Gate at the southern end of Prussia Street which will prevent general through traffic from travelling from Prussia Street to Manor Street. It is proposed to modify St Joseph’s Road to include a one-way section (in an eastbound direction) at its eastern end in order to avoid traffic using this street to avoid the bus gate.
At the junction of Manor Street/Prussia Street with Aughrim Street, the updated design includes a Bus Gate in both directions, which will effectively limit use of Prussia Street to local access traffic, buses, taxis and cyclists. It will also remove the general southbound traffic on Manor Street. The Bus Gates on Prussia Street/Manor Street in Stoneybatter have been updated in the revised design as follows:
The proposed junction has been modified to improve cycling facilities which also allows for urban realm improvements. The layout now includes a raised junction to assist pedestrians crossing, and incorporates moving the northbound bus stop further south on Manor Street. The design includes a one way northbound for general traffic under the current design with a bus only signal for southbound buses on Aughrim Street.
South of the Aughrim Steet junction with manor Street and Prussia Street the design includes traffic signal controls at the Manor Street/Kirwan Street/Manor Place junction, which will limit traffic on these side roads therefore reducing their attractiveness to through traffic. The signal-controlled junction also includes a pedestrian crossing of Manor Street within the junction. It is also proposed to restrict movements out of Kirwan Street to right turn only.
On Manor Street the revised design consists of two shared bus and general traffic lanes and a cycle track in both directions to the junction of Brunswick Street. The footpath widths have been increased by removing the previously proposed northbound bus lane on Manor Street, which has been replaced by a bus priority signal arrangement at the junction of Brunswick Street.
The revised design also has changes on Prussia Street/Manor Street as follows:
The previously proposed closure of the western end of Brunswick Street has been removed while maintaining the two way cycle track along Brunswick Street. This change accommodates the revised location of bus priority signal, which facilities bus priority and journey time reliability along Manor Street while providing an improved urban realm with the increased footpath widths.
The two way cycle track from Brunswick Street to Arran Quay has been revised to provider increased connectivity to Grangegorman Lower.
On Blackhall Street, the proposed road layout has been revised to include one lane for general traffic, a two-way cycle track, and echelon parking for local residents.
Southbound traffic will travel on Manor Street/ Blackhall Place in a single lane, and general traffic will be required to turn left into King Street North which will remain one-way eastbound. Buses will be permitted to continue travelling straight ahead to a southbound bus lane on Blackhall Place.
In the northbound direction, Blackhall Place consists of a bus lane, and a single traffic lane. The revised design requires northbound general traffic wishing to progress onto Manor Street to turn right onto King Street North, and then turn left onto George’s Lane to travel westbound along Brunswick Street North. This arrangement will regulate northbound traffic flow and dissuade through traffic.
On Blackhall Place between Blackhall Street and Arran Quay, the proposed carriageway arrangement is unchanged to the EPR, with a bus lane and traffic lane in each direction and a two-way cycle track on Queen Street.
George’s Lane will remain a one-way street (northbound) - but it is proposed to install traffic signals at Grangegorman Lower/ Brunswick Street. Traffic on King Street North (east of George’s Lane) will be restricted to left turn only onto Queen Street.
The proposals from Navan Road through to Blackhall Place involve a number of traffic management measures which are aimed at:
Plans showing the alternative traffic routing in the Navan Road - Stoneybatter area are included in the Appendix at the back of this brochure. The approach to traffic management and proposed restrictions to particular traffic movements is summarised as follows:
Long Distance Through Traffic: Traffic from the Quays in central Dublin travelling towards Blanchardstown and Castleknock will be directed to use Church Street, Constitution Hill and Phibsborough Road, to the north, or alternatively will be able to travel west on the Chapelizod Bypass and onto the northbound M50. There is a proposed alteration to the North Circular Road/Cabra Road junction at St Peters Church which would be modified to allow right turns. This would provide a viable route between Navan Road and the North Circular which avoids the Old Cabra Road route.
Blackhorse Avenue: Local traffic between Stoneybatter and Ashtown could travel via Conyngham Road, North Circular Road and Blackhorse Avenue, or via Manor Street, Aughrim Street and thereafter Blackhorse Avenue. As is the case now, local traffic will tend to use north- south roads off Navan Road (Ashtown Gate Road, Kinvara Avenue, Baggot Road, Nephin Street, Skreen Road) to travel to and from destinations in the local neighbourhood. Junction improvement works are planned for the junction of Blackhorse Avenue, Ashtown Gate Road, Castleknock Road to regulate the flow of traffic along Blackhorse Avenue
Aughrim Street Local traffic around Stoneybatter will be able to travel northbound on Aughrim Street In addition, traffic signals will be installed at the junction of Kirwan Street with Manor Street to ensure that traffic flow levels on Kirwan Street can be controlled and ensure that it is not an attractive short-cut route.
Annamoe Terrace, Annamoe Road: Traffic may seek to use Annamoe Terrace, and Annamoe Road, between Cabra Road and the North Circular Road as an alternative to Old Cabra Road. Banning turning movements into Annamoe Terrace and Annamoe Road from Cabra Road, and into Annamoe Road from the North Circular Road, is being considered to limit through traffic. However, it is recognised that banning turning movements will also affect local residents’ ability to travel by car in peak periods.
Oxmantown Road: Traffic may seek to use Oxmantown Road as a potential alternative route to Prussia Street. Banning a turning movement at the northern end of Oxmantown Road (at North Circular Road) is being considered, and installation of traffic signals at the junction on Manor Place with Manor Street is proposed, as measures aimed at dissuading such through traffic.
Part of the overall BusConnects Programme is to create 16 radial core bus corridors (CBC). A CBC is an existing road with bus priority so that buses can operate efficiently, reliably and punctually. This generally means full length dedicated bus lanes on both sides of the road from start to finish of each corridor or other measures to ensure that buses are not delayed in general traffic congestion. The bus lanes will be alongside segregated cycle lanes/tracks where feasible and general traffic.
A segregated cycle track is a separate section of the road dedicated for cycling only. This space will generally be isolated from other vehicular traffic by a physical kerb. Where is it not physically possible to have segregated cycle tracks there will be the option of quiet roads and shared cycling on reduced speed roads for cyclists.
The NTA published outline plans for each of the 16 CBCs in a non-statutory public consultation process in 2018/2019. The options were called Emerging Preferred Routes (EPR), in some cases with multiple sub-options, to inform the public of the likely layout of the roadway with the necessary CBC infrastructure in place. They included possible impacts on front gardens, and likely changes to how traffic will operate to facilitate bus priority.
Following consideration of the public submissions about the 16 EPR’s, the core bus corridor proposals have been reviewed and amended. They are now being presented as the Preferred Route Option (PRO) and are subject to a further round of non-statutory public consultation. They are not final proposals as they are subject to further consideration from this round of public consultation and also subsequent examination in the context of environmental impact assessment.
A Bus Gate is a sign-posted short length of stand-alone bus lane. This short length of road is restricted exclusively to buses, taxis and cyclists plus emergency vehicles. It facilitates bus priority by removing general through traffic along the overall road where the bus gate is located. General traffic will be directed by signage to divert away to other roads before they arrive at the bus gate. To see an animation of a how a Bus Gate will work, please visit our website www.busconnects.ie.