Council to fight back over bus lane

NEW battle-lines were drawn yesterday between the Fine Gael-controlled Limerick City Council and council management over a proposed bus lane from Dooradoyle to the city centre.

Management at City Hall have stated the bus lane is going ahead and €2.4 million has been earmarked for the work.

However, after a meeting of the FG councillors at the weekend, they yesterday said they are now planning a motion under Section 140 of the Local Government Act to thwart the plan by management.

Cllr Pat Kennedy accused the management of being anti-democratic as they ignored motions passed by the council opposing the proposed bus lane.

Bus Éireann is pushing for more bus lanes in the city, claiming it is losing up to €1m a year due to its fleet of 24 city buses being tied up in traffic.

Cllr Kennedy said the claim by council management that they would use their executive power to progress the bus lane was a “desperate attempt by an unelected official to overrule and set aside the unanimous and democratic decision of the elected councillors and the people power verdict of 94% of the residents of the Ballinacurra/O’Connell Avenue general area”.

Cllr Kennedy claimed the council management had exceeded their brief by not putting the bus route plan through Part 8 of the Planning and Development Act.

He said this process must be adhered to when the cost of development exceeded €126,000.

Cllr Kennedy said: “The manager’s approach of bypassing the elected councillors was in total breach and non-compliance with the mandatory provisions of the Planning and Development legislation. The reasonable people of Ballinacurra/O’Connell Avenue residents, business people and professionals, are not going away as far as bus corridors are concerned and I pledge my fullest support for any democratic and legal measures which they may take.”