BusConnects plan drives a wedge between frustrated commuters and fearful homeowners

It has been hailed as a game-changing €600m investment on the road to transforming Cork’s public bus service and biking infrastructure, but not everyone wants to go on the journey. In the first of a three-part series, Eoin English speaks to commuters, homeowners, and experts about the plan that could transform how Cork city travels

Frustrated bus users say something has to be done to make services run on time. Picture: Larry Cummins

The first round of public consultation has just concluded on the most expensive part of the ambitious BusConnects Cork scheme — the design of 12 strategic transport corridors (STCs) or super-bus and bike-lane routes.

These are draft proposals which could cut bus journey times in half, at the expense of hundreds of homes losing portions of gardens and the removal of hundreds of on-street parking spaces — and it is clear that the National Transport Authority (NTA) has hit a few speed bumps already.