Ahead of a special meeting of Dublin City Council's strategic
policy committee on transport at the Gresham Hotel at 4pm today,
the Green Party has urged Dublin City councillors and
stakeholders to fully adopt the proposals put forward by the
city's transport planners to install a 24 hour 'public transport
gate' at college green.
Green Party Transport Spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said:
"This bus gate is a key piece in the public transport jigsaw for
Dublin that will provide for quicker cross city journey times
and a more reliable service. Dublin Bus conservatively estimates
that congestion costs the company €25m per year and the bus gate
will save 10 minutes per bus using it. This will improve
frequency, reduce costs and lead to more efficient scheduling.
"There have been a shelf-full of consultants' reports
recommending better bus priority measures in the city centre.
The success of QBCs have demonstrated that if you give buses
priority road space and provide a frequent service, commuters
will respond.
"Some concern has been expressed by local traders about the
impact of a bus gate on city centre retail but recent research
shows that shoppers who travel by bus spend roughly equal
amounts as those who shop by car in city centre trade and that
bus users are more likely to shop in the city centre*.
"By voting for the full proposals councillors and stakeholders
can take an important step toward radically reforming the way
bus services are provided in the capital," Deputy Cuffe
concluded.
* Further Information:
• The "Bus Gate" is one of a series of QBC proposals to improve
bus priority in Dublin City Centre. Further details are
available on the Quality Bus Network website:
http://www.dublincity.ie/ROADSANDTRAFFIC/QBNPROJECTOFFICE/Pages/PublicConsultation.aspx
• Dublin Bus conducted an on street survey in Henry St. and
Grafton St. in March 2009 to gauge spending behaviour. This
survey was conducted by the company, Behaviour and Attitudes
Ltd. 300 Interviews were conducted - 150 amongst Dublin Bus
users and 150 amongst car users. The findings showed that:
• On average car users had been in Dublin City Centre 1.63 days
in the previous 7 days, while Dublin Bus users had been in 2.22
days.
• Average spend in Dublin City Centre, per person, in these 7
days was €74.98 amongst car users and €90.73 amongst Dublin Bus
users.
• This means that the spend by car users per day would be €46
per day and per bus user is €41 per day
