NTA presentation leaves a lot of questions to be answered
THE National Transport Authority (NTA) delivered a presentation during Monday’s monthly meeting at South Dublin County Council.
However, there was frustration that some of the questions that councillors asked the NTA at the meeting were not answered.
Following the hour-long presentation, councillors had their say, and some of the questions were answered, but the agenda moved on, and members were told they could write their questions to the NTA.
Cllr Louise Dunne (SF) felt this “should have been mentioned before it took up an hour of the agenda.”
“We’ve wasted an hour asking those questions when they weren’t going to be answered. That should have been relayed to us before,” said Cllr Dunne.
SDCC chief executive Colm Ward said the NTA have “committed to following up to individual councillors and addressing specific concerns because a lot of the questions were local specific, and they probably wouldn’t have had a response ready.”
Responding to this, Cllr Pamela Kearns (Lab) understood that “the NTA were asked if we could email questions ahead of the meeting and they told us no.”
“If they allowed us to email questions in before the meeting, then they would have had the answers prepared,” said Kearns.
During the presentation, NTA chief executive Anne Graham outlined work they are involved with including providing over €80m in funding to SDCC since 2020.
Bus and Luas use by passengers is up by approximately 25 per cent since pre-Covid.
The presentation also covered SDCC Active Travel schemes, including the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network, Dodder Greenway, and Lucan Urban Greenway.
Bus and Luas use by passengers is up by approximately 25 percent since pre-Covid
The NTA is also delivering the BusConnects Core Bus Corridors, with the Tallaght/Clondalkin bus corridor the ninth of 12 routes approved to date just recently.
Cllr Kay Keane (PBP-Sol) raised concerns about ‘ghost buses’ having witnessed people waiting at bus stops.
“When I’ve enquired, I’m told its lack of drivers, but I have seen three buses sitting at a terminal, surely it can allow a call to the depot and for a bus to pull out? It’s getting beyond a joke on the 27 route, it can be overcrowded and people standing at bus stops,” said Cllr Keane.
Cllr Caroline Brady (FG) said most buses are full by time they get to Penny Hill in Lucan and also referenced a personal experience of waiting for a ghost bus.
Cllr Joanna Tuffy (Lab) asked who the NTA is answerable to, and if a government minister could request they change the prioritisation of transfer plans for an area, citing a preference to focus on bringing the Luas to Lucan.
“I know some TDs have promised to bring the Luas to their areas, including my own, so who would decide that?” asked Tuffy.
Eoin O’Broin (SocDems) wondered if people lose out because of fines, referencing anti-social behaviour at the 13 bus route in Bawnogue
PBP-Sol Cllrs Madeliene Johannson and Jess Spear, called for more frequency on routes.
Cllr Linda de Courcy (Ind Ire) enquired about data and the volume increase of cyclists using cycle lanes compared to before cycle lanes were installed.
Cllr David McManus (FG) asked if there are any plans for 24-hr bus routes and expressed concern at the recruitment issues bus operators have in hiring drivers.
NTA chief Anne Graham acknowledged “difficulty” in recruitment for operators even though “conditions for drivers are good.”
“We do offer as much as we can in terms of meeting the demand . . . we know that we have to do better in meeting demand,” said Ms Graham.
Delays for buses in some instances where it looks like they just have not arrived at all according to real-time, is attributed to congestion.
“So, it might seem like a ghost bus but actually it’s a bus getting significantly delayed in road traffic congestion,” said Ms Graham.
She said there is a need for more infrastructure in place over the coming years to offer a more reliable service and that there are plans for 24-hr routes along the main spines.
