NTA slammed as bus route leaves vulnerable people without access to O’Connell St

Councillor Nial Ring has criticised the NTA’s decisions to replace the 123 bus route with the 73, which he leaves elderly people and those with disabilities without direct access to O’Connell Street

Dublin public buses seen on O’Connell Bridge(Image: )

The replacement of the 123 bus route with the new Route 73 has caused “significant public anger, distress and inconvenience” as bus users have been left with no direct link to O’Connell Street.

Councillor Nial Ring outlined the difficulties faced by bus users, particularly elderly people and those with disabilities, who have been affected by the change that was brought through without any “meaningful public consultation.” At Tuesday’ s Central Area Committee meeting, he called for an explanation from the National Transport Authority (NTA) on what specific bodies approved this change that has had such a detrimental effect on people in the Ballybough, Summerhill, Marino areas.

“This NTA, nobody knows who they really are, whether it’s the TFI, TII, Dublin Bus, or CIE, there’s so many different agencies looking after transport,” Cllr Ring said. While previously there was direct access to O’Connell Street, the re-routing of the 123 with the 73 bus has seen vulnerable members of the community cut off from the city centre.

“People like my own mother who is 91 and loves to go into town, loves to go into Henry Street, can’t go in anymore because the 73 does not go into O’Connell Street,” he said. “We’re supposed to be encouraging people into town and yet we’re sending a bus all around the quays.”

Cllr Ring said he is not satisfied with correspondence they have had from the NTA thus far and asked the council’s write to them and demand they “immediately restore direct access to O’Connell Street.” “We write that the Central Area councillors want what’s in the motion done rather than my memos ending up where what usually happens, probably in some shredding machine somewhere,” he said.

The motion received widespread support from councillors who stressed that there have been ongoing and consistent communication issues with the NTA. Deputy Lord Mayor John Stephens said there has been “horrendous problems” with NTA over the years as they “bring in decisions without talking to people.” He said there has been a lack of accountability regarding how the NTA deals with public representatives and that they “think they’re unapproachable.”

Cllr Daniel Ennis said their grips with the NTA extend well beyond just the 73 route as the BusConnects project has been “an absolute shambles” and the issue of ghost buses has remained a consistent problem. “How many times have we asked for answers from the NTA through motions, through questions, and the media? And not so much as a whisper off them,” he said.

He stressed the difficulties faced by elderly people having to get off the 73 at Gardiner Street to get to O’Connell Street. Cllr Ennis highlighted instances of anti-social and criminal behaviour near the stop that puts vulnerable bus users at risk.

Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said there’s been a lack of consistency and frequency when it comes to buses serving their area. He said he has written to the Chief Executive of the NTA requesting a meeting to voice their concerns. Chair of the Mobility and Public Realm SPC Cllr Janet Horner revealed the NTA has agreed to meet them at their upcoming February meeting.

A spokesperson for the National Transport Authority told Dublin Live: “The new Dublin local bus network was developed and determined by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in a process and during a period from 2017 to 2020, including three rounds of public consultation. In that time over 72,000 submissions were received. NTA worked closely with stakeholders such as Dublin City Council, to take account of relevant wider plans.

“The network is now being introduced in stages, with the latest stage including new route 73 replacing route 123. In the City Centre the new route serves the Quays and Gardiner Street rather than Dame Street, College Green and O’Connell Street. This is consistent with the proposals for a pedestrian plaza at College Green and with reducing left-hand or right-hand turning movements by buses at the busy junctions at each end of O’Connell Bridge.

“We accept that some destinations are thereby further from route 73 stops, but others are now closer. We also acknowledge that these changes require some passengers to make their journey in a different way. In some instances, people who previously had to interchange will now have a direct service, while others may now have to interchange where previously they did not. For those who have to change, the process is made as straightforward as possible under the TFI-90 fare as there is no additional cost.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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