Anger as Talbot Street residents' homes 'used as a bus shelter'
Frustrated Talbot Street residents have been continually blocked from entering their homes due their front entrance being used as a de facto bus shelter for years.
The plight of Dublin residents living beside Stop 7569 at the Lidl on Talbot Street dates back more than five years when locals weren’t consulted about plans to revamp their street. This saw a bus stop appear outside their front door - leading to a whole host of problems.
Green Party Councillor Janet Horner outlined residents' irritation as they deal with crowds gathering, sleeping, and seeking shelter outside their door, blocking their entrance in and out of the building, and effectively using their property as a bus shelter. Calls for the stop to be moved have fallen on deaf ears and now Cllr Horner's request to at least put an actual bus shelter in place has been refused.
At this morning’s Central Area Committee meeting, Cllr Horner asked that if Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority (NTA) must refuse residents' request to move the bus stop then they should at least give “passengers an alternative to sheltering in front of the entrance to the apartments.”
Cllr Horner has campaigned for something to be done about this issue for years and believes it represents more than just a dispute about a bus stop. “The reason I've been so persistent on this issue is because it’s about whether we treat residents who are living above the shop in the heart of the city with the same respect we treat others with,” she said.
She stressed this a situation that would not be tolerated in other parts of the city and that some residents have even had to deal with being followed in their building by non-residents. If the bus stop cannot be removed and a shelter cannot be provided, Cllr Horner is calling for some “creativity” to address these concerns.
“We ask can we move the bus stop, they say no. Can we put in a shelter, the answer is no. Can we install planters, the answer is no. There has to be some creative, proactive engagement to solve a problem for residents in the heart of the city,” she said.
“We talk time and again that we want to bring residents back into the heart of the city, but the one place where it works quite well on Talbot Street doesn't treat the residents with the same level of respect we would other residents.”
While Cllr Horner said she understands a bus shelter might impede accessibility, she also said it’s their duty to ensure people feel safe coming and going from their own home. “It’s very frustrating,” she said.
Independent Cllr Nial Ring supported the motion but said it will be difficult to resolve any situation that involves the NTA. The North Inner City has been vocal about criticism of the NTA and has consistently said they do not engage properly with the concerns of local representatives.
“Somehow we have to get to a stage where we can tell the NTA what we want, want the people want, and what the residents of Talbot Street want. It’s absolutely ridiculous the level of contempt we are being treated with by that particular organisation,” he said.
The Dublin City Council manager’s response stated they will engage directly with Cllr Horner to organise a meeting with residents and representatives to “look at alternative options” regarding local concerns on Talbot Street.
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