Councillors defer vote to block €4.9m bus corridor development

LIMERICK City Council last night deferred a vote on a motion to block the development of a €4.9 million bus corridor in the city.

The motion was tabled by mayor Maria Byrne, one of the nine Fine Gael members on the 17-member council.

During a three hour debate, one Fine Gael who supports the bus lane claimed party colleagues were opposing the development through snobbery as it went through residential areas “where important people live”.

Vincent Murray, senior roads engineer with the council, said the proposed green route from Dooradoyle to the city centre represented one of the biggest public transport projects to be delivered in the city for years.

However, many councillors opposed the plan after intensive lobbying by residents and businesses in the Ballinacurra and O’Connell Avenue area.

Ms Byrne told the meeting that there was no point in rushing ahead with a development which in time may not be in the best interests of the city. She pointed out that there were up to 136 professional practices and businesses in the O’Connell Avenue and Ballinacurra area.

Cllr Kevin Kiely, FG, who supports the plan, said he had got numerous crank phone calls and anonymous letters due to his stance, but was not going to yield to blackmail.

“A lot of this is about snobbery,” he said.

Cllr Pat Kennedy, FG, said the route would lead to a devaluation in property and would not yield any significant bus times. “It goes against the unique character of the general area.”

He said the bus route would be detrimental to businesses and professional services in the area.

Cllr John Gilligan said if the resolution was passed, it would kill the provision of further public transport in Limerick for years and they would be sending back almost €5m allocated from government funds.

He said alternative routes being proposed would lead to public transport in Limerick taking on the appearance of “magical mystery tours” with routes going where there were no houses.

After more than three hours of debate, Ms Byrne agreed to a request by Labour Cllr Orla McLoughlan, to adjourn the matter for two weeks to allow for further consultation between members of the council and management.

Limerick Chamber and the city centre traders have called for the new bus lane in order to help fight the decline in city centre business.