Push to open underused Dublin bus lanes to all road users dismissed by Dublin City Council
A push to revert certain 24-hour bus lanes to general traffic lanes during off-peak times has been dismissed by Dublin City Council.
Former Lord Mayor Councillor Nial Ring's question lodged to the Chief Executive for last May’s monthly meeting asked for a “systematic review of 24-hour bus lane designations across the city”. He called on the National Transport Authority (NTA) to consider the financial burden placed on motorists paying fuel costs while “idling in traffic”.
With reference to rising fuel costs and environmental concerns, Cllr Ring said that many bus corridors remain empty during off-peak hours with drivers unable to use an underutilised lane. He cited the bus lane on Clontarf Road as an example of a lane only serving one route every 15 to 20 minutes.
Cllr Ring proposed that allowing general traffic to use routes such as this would reduce stop-start congestion, lower localised emissions from idling vehicles, and improve fuel efficiency for drivers. He criticised the local authority and the NTA for their “joint overtly anti-driver bias and hard-line approach against motorists” which ignores “the practical realities” of road users.
The Chief Executive's reply said the council’s bus priority team regularly reviews and updates bus lane operational times and to date “200km of bus lane have been reviewed and have had their operational hours increased”. Rather than revert bus routes to general traffic lanes, the response said 24-hour bus lanes “support Dublin City Council's policy to prioritise a modal shift from private vehicle use to more sustainable mobility options ”.
According to the council, benefits of 24-hour bus lanes include improved bus speed and reliability, increased public transport ridership, and making roads safer for cyclists who share the lane. They stated that 24-hour operation makes the lanes easier to enforce.
“The provision of an extra general traffic lane during off-peak periods would yield minimal benefit, attributable to the low vehicular volumes during these hours,” the response stated.
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