Changes to BusConnects plans hailed as 'win for community'

Introduction of bus gate during peak hours will reduce impact on private properties and roadside trees, says transport authority

Eoin Ó Loingsigh and his sister Katie during a campaign to save Boreenmanna Rd trees. Picture: Dan Linehan

Residents on Cork's Boreenmanna Rd, where more than 90 trees faced the chop, have hailed the revised BusConnects proposals for their area as a “win for the community”.

However, the group, which ran a high-visibility campaign to save the trees, say the changes to several parts of the Mahon to city centre sustainable transport corridor (STC) are still not what they could be.

Under the revised designs for STC J, published yesterday, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has dropped plans for a bus lane in each direction on Churchyard Lane and Boreenmanna Rd in favour of a bus lane in one direction only.

Instead, a bus gate will be introduced, active during peak hours only. This approach, the NTA says, will reduce the impact on private properties and roadside trees, especially along Boreenmanna Rd.

It also said some additional on-street parking spaces have been retained, and that new off-street parking spaces are proposed close to Ballinlough Pitch and Putt Club and near the entrance to Rockboro Primary School.

The draft plans would have affected 73 properties, resulting in the loss of 283 on-street parking spaces, and the removal of 191 trees.

The revised plans impact 34 properties, with the loss of 215 parking spaces, and the removal of 56 trees.

A spokesman for the Boreenmanna Rd residents said: “We have gone from around 80 CPOs in this area alone to zero and more than 90 of the trees will be retained.

“They have taken on board our suggestion to relocate the bike lanes to the northern side of the street.

“A handful of trees will have to be removed — they will be replaced through replanting — and they are not touching Ballinlough Park. But the removal of off-street parking could be an issue.

But compared to the destruction proposed in the original plans, this is a vast improvement. It is a good win, from our perspective, given the potential damage to the community that was originally proposed.

However, he said the NTA still has not addressed the problems residents believe will be caused by the pinch-point at the Boreenmanna Rd’s junction with the South Link Rd.

Meanwhile, on the Ballincollig to city STC E route, several changes have been made to save trees, to reduce land-take for road widening, and to retain on-street parking in the town centre, with the bus gate previously proposed in the town centre dropped completely.

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Dedicated bus lanes are no longer proposed along Model Farm Rd between Carrigrohane Rd and Inchigaggin Lane, with bus gates being used instead to restrict non-essential through-traffic on Model Farm Rd.

A new link road is also proposed to connect Model Farm Rd and the N22 Carrigrohane Rd to facilitate traffic diverting from the Model Farm Rd bus gate.

On the Mayfield to city STC, where residents protested over the draft plans to reduce the width of footpaths on Summerhill, a bus gate has been added at the junction of Ballyhooly Rd with Glen Ave for northbound traffic, and the existing layout at Ballyhooly Rd, New Rd, and Murmont Park will be retained.