Residents and council clash over bus route

LIMERICK City Council and residents living by a busy traffic route are on a collision course over a proposed dedicated bus route.

The council has drawn up plans to spend €15 million on bus routes connecting the city centre to all the main suburban hubs over the next two years.

The county council has already opened up bus routes in the suburbs but they end abruptly at the city boundary.

City Hall bosses insist they have to move ahead with the continuation of bus routes into the city centre to comply with government transport policies.

The council wants to commence the process by next summer.

A priority is to develop a dedicated bus route along Ballinacurra and O’Connell Avenue to connect to a bus lane already developed from Raheen to Ballykeeffe, which bounds the city.

More than 150 residents attended a public meeting on Monday night to show their opposition to the Ballinacurra/O’Connell Avenue proposal.

The residents claim a bus lane would reduce the available spaces for residential and business parking.

Des Hayes, who lives in O’Connell Avenue and is chairman of St Joseph’s Parish Council, said the city council wants to steamroll a bus lane. Other residents expressed concerns that routines such as bin collections would be affected.

Cllr Pat Kennedy told the meeting: “We can expect the biggest, hardest fight ever.” Cllr Maria Byrne has tabled a notice of motion at the city council to try and block the proposed bus lane.

Limerick City Council director of transport Pat Dromey has stated that dedicated bus lanes are “the only game” in town.

The present situation, he said, where bus lanes starting in the outer suburbs come to a halt at the city boundary cannot continue.

He said: “We are determined to kick on with the bus lanes.”