The consultation on the infrastructure element of the BusConnects corridors is now open.
Unfortunately it looks like BusConnects in Douglas at least is dead before it begins thanks to the genius councillors in City Hall.
Yup. It'll mean people won't switch to buses if they won't have priority and remain stuck in traffic anyway. This will mean more will stay in cars and the vicious cycle will continue. Add a growing population and the future is a grim traffic gridlocked one for Cork if the property owners and councillors get their way. It's a lose lose if this doesn't go ahead as much as possible.
That's the main thing people don't realise I think, they think they can continue indefinitely with their parking and traffic situations that just about work for them, but it's going to change one way or another. We can either manage the change or let it happen in a totally chaotic way. Or what we'll end up with, managed chaos for all.
There seems to be notions on this thread that we have a utopian bus service being introduced.
Bus Eireann is a fine example of a state company that holds the interests of its unionised staff above the interests of the public.
Some common sense please, your notions are admirable.
What? A bus service isn't being introduced, dedicated bus lanes connecting from the furthest neighbourhoods right into the city centre. Unless cars decide to use these lanes too like in Dublin (thankfully, most people in Cork seem to respect bus lanes from what I can see) then they will really help the service, which has all of its routes redesigned for 2023/2024
Who operates the Cork City Bus Service on behalf of the NTA ?
The answer to that is Bus Eireann.
They provide what is known as a Bus Service.
This Bus Service will be operating on these PROPOSED new routes, these are NEW Routes, therefore a new service.
I said a BUS SERVICE because that is a factual description of what Bus Eireann operate, I am not sure what else to call them.
Nobody is expecting a utopia, but infrastructure is a necessary step if there's to be any improvement at all. Half of this project is about cycle infrastructure too which has to be done right for it to be any use.
The devil is in the detail.
Honestly 8 lane roads through residential areas seems like complete overkill to me. Widening it in bottleneck areas to give buses priority, yes, absolutely. But this amount of it? With roads so wide you can't have leafy streets anymore, it's just concrete, tarmac and fumes.
A recent example of going too far is the renovation of blackrock station on the railway line greenway. They did a really fantastic job with the cleanup of the bridge and stonework, the signage is great, and the access to it is much clearer. And then they added (because it wasn't in the original plans) galvanised safety railings and a load of ramps that make the place look like it's permanently scaffolded, stripping away the character they worked so hard to restore, making it rattle and rumble, and the passage between the ramps is quite tight, I saw the squeeze in the marathon. They just don't seem to know when to take a measured approach on these things.
I have to wonder, have the NTA the power to change the weather as well ?
Just that I notice there are a lot less cyclists on the roads in the winter than the summer.
Or will these over 100 km's of cycle lanes also have roofs on them ?
Where are there 8 lane roads proposed to go through residential areas?
What kind of a silly point is that?
The fact that less people cycle in the winter than the summer, is it ?
Do you have some stats to quantify that statement? And also what does it have to do with the argument against cycle lanes? If anything it's an argument for them as for me the worst thing about cycling in bad weather is poor driver behaviour so there are even more benefits to segregation.
How is it possible to give stats on that please ?
Do cyclists log in to some portal or what before they head out ?
Common sense is the measure most appropriate there I believe
So nothing to back it up. Thanks for confirming.
What's your actual point? Or do you even have one?
That will firstly address your point re the difference in the number of people cycling in the summer compared with the winter.
I have no idea as to why you are resorting to the age old motorist V's cyclist debate, I am not sure of its relevance here.
Here is what may appear to be a new concept for you, a thing known as " common sense " ;
Something that seems to be blatantly absent in this debate.
Kind of sad you have to resort to Wikipedia link dumps. But you keep up the good work 👍
Offer to pay them for the loss of the right to park in their permit designated areas. You could create a scheme that would grant affected properties special tax incentives, or possibly have a free travel pass granted to the residents of those properties. Since so few are affected by these plans that the cost would be minimal. Also it would be worth it to run a PR campaign designed to convince people of the financial and health benefits of not owning a car.
I'm not anti bus connects but I hate the thought of the numbers of trees that would be cut down..
Do you raise similar concerns over all the trees that come down to build roads and motorways?
If not, why not?
thankfully, most people in Cork seem to respect bus lanes from what I can see
Lol. You've never been on Patrick's Street between 3 and 6.30, I take it?
I felt it best and indeed appropriate to keep it, shall as say simple.
I will indeed keep up the good work and I do appreciate that you see it as so.
I am with you there, this project is being supported by The Green Party, I cannot get over the downright hypocrisy here on the subject of the amount of trees being destroyed.
Pearse Road in Ballyphehane has to be one of the best places to see Cherry Blossoms in Bloom, what a shame that these are all going to be destroyed for people who are assuming that people are going to cycle and use buses more.
Wakey wakey.
I will have to start tying myself to every tree in danger of being cut down..
News to me that Pearse Road is getting cycle and bus lanes. Where have you heard this?
Observations are anecdotes and are worth very little, maybe there's a traffic survey you'd like to point to?
And what's your point? Some unquantified observation of fewer people cycling in the winter is some reason to not have cycle lanes all year round? My point is it could be a reason for more cycle lanes depending on people's reasons.
Bus Eireann has nothing to do with bus lanes other than using them, like how cyclists use dedicated cycle lanes
Pearse Road between Lough Road and Pouladuff Road as part of Route G - Togher - City Centre
You are of course correct about BE having nothing to do with the provision of Bus Lanes, they do indeed only use them. I don't think i mentioned otherwise.
Observations are worth very little, are they ?
Shame you did not notice / know about Pearse Road.
It's 200m of Pearse Road (1.4km long), in a 93km of bus lane and 112km of bike lane scheme, seems like an honest mistake
