Cork BusConnects plan altered 'due to hilly terrain and narrow streets in the northside'

From Wellington Rd and Summerhill in the East to Cathedral Rd and Dublin St in the West, some of Cork northside's historic thoroughfares will lose out on the proposed bus and cycle lanes

Narrow streets and hilly topography has made plans for public transport routes in Cork’s northside particularly difficult, National Transport Authority (NTA) designers have admitted.

Some of the most historic communities in the city are on the northside of the river in areas built up long before the advent of today’s large volumes of cars and buses — meaning the conundrum to design a fit-for-purpose public transport plan is “extremely challenging”, according to deputy chief executive of the NTA, Hugh Creegan. 

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“The northside of the city hasn’t changed, it is just as hard now as it was last year.

“There has been a lot of engagement with a lot of communities there, and what we have ended up with in this consultation is something that we think would deliver good bus facilities and good cycling facilities.

The parallel northside hills of Summerhill North and Wellington Rd will now not get the proposed bus and cycle lanes. File picture: Larry Cummins

“We have to compromise in places and other people have to compromise with us.

“The geography with hilly terrain and narrow streets is extremely challenging,” he said.

It has meant the likes of Gardiner’s Hill losing out on proposed cycle lanes, with so-called quiet street routes — areas with lower density traffic — having to facilitate cyclists along the Middle Glanmire Rd and St Christopher’s Drive.

Similarly, nearby Wellington Rd will lose out on proposed cycle tracks in favour of retaining on-street parking, despite being one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the city during rush hour and school times.

The section of the proposed Hollyhill to city route taking in Cathedral Rd — as well as Cathedral St, Roman St, Upper John St, John Redmond St, and Mulgrave Rd — are physically constrained according to the NTA. Picture: Larry Cummins

Proposed bus lanes on Summerhill North have been removed with parking reinstated and footway widths maintained, the NTA’s revised design for BusConnects says.

Blackpool faces similar limitations, the new design shows.

“Redforge Rd, Dublin St, Thomas Davis St, and Watercourse Rd are physically constrained, and it is not possible to provide extensive bus lanes along this section,” the NTA said.

“Traffic management measures are proposed to achieve bus priority.”

On the proposed Hollyhill to city route, Cathedral Rd, Cathedral St, Roman St, Upper John St, John Redmond St, and Mulgrave Rd are physically constrained, according to the NTA.

“A series of bus priority traffic signals and bus gates at key locations will remove through traffic and deliver bus priority along this section,” it said. 

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