Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016—2035

Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016—2035 Consultation Submissions Report Consultation Submissions Report Contents Part A: Overview Part B: Review of Submissions Part C: Review of SEA and AA Submission Items Part A: Overview Part A: Overview The Draft Transport Strategy was put on public display for a period of 4 weeks from the 15th October to the 13th November, in accordance with Section 12 (8) of the Dublin Transport Authority Act, 2008 and Section 13 (1) of S.I. 435 European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes) Regulations 2004. Copies were placed in the reception of the Authority’s office and the report was available for downloading from the Authority’s website. The Draft Strategy was accompanied by an Environmental Report, a Natura Impact Statement, and a number of background technical reports. An advertisement was placed in the Irish Independent on the 14th October inviting interested parties to make a written submission relating to the content of the Draft Transport Strategy. Submissions could be made by post; by email; by using a form on the Authority’s website; or directly in the reception of the Authority’s offices. There were 155 submissions received, ranging from personal submissions from residents and commuters living in the GDA to detailed proposals from government departments and local authorities. The breakdown of the submissions is set out in Table 1 below. Table 1: Breakdown of submissions by category Category Number Percentage Public Body 10 6% Private Business 17 11% Private Developers 8 5% Political Party 2 1% Councillors and TDs 17 11% Government Departments and Local 11 7% Authorities Professional Bodies and Campaign Groups 15 10% Individuals and Residents’ Groups 66 43% Transport Operators 2 1% Universities and Colleges 7 5% Total 155 100% Some of the issues raised were focused on localised changes arising from the implementation of the strategy, like the impact of closing specific level crossings along the Maynooth line, or on single issues, such as the omission from the plan of a rail link to Navan. Other submissions covered a plethora of issues, ranging from the proposals for cycle infrastructure, the proposed Bus Rapid Transit and how best to utilise the expanded heavy rail network. Some submissions also offered alternative visions as to how the strategy should be developed, with an array of different proposals other than those set out in the draft Strategy. On review of the submissions, it is reasonable to state that they represent a wide spectrum of interested parties. The next section sets out a summary of the points raised in each submission and commentary on the issues, including when required, recommendations for amendments to the Strategy. The proposed amendments are set out in the final section of this report. Part B: Review of Submissions Part B: Review of Submissions Submission No. 1 Name: Paul Gorry Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Taxi regulation issues raised and concern for public safety and lack of enforcement; Concern expressed over frequency and price of bus services, and that the NTA has no plans to improve services; Bus link between Leixlip, Maynooth, Celbridge and Lucan needed; and Underground link needs to be developed with more trains from Maynooth to Bray; these services should be listed in timetable. Commentary / Response: There is extensive enforcement of taxi regulation by the Authority’s own compliance staff in addition to actions by the Gardai. The draft transport strategy (Section 6.1) sets out proposals increasing bus services to match capacity with growing passenger demand. The draft transport strategy includes for the development of the DART Expansion Programme, which will provide a DART connection from Maynooth to Bray. Submission No. 2 Name: John Howell Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Reopen Dunleer Station on the Dublin to Belfast line; Increase the frequency of trains on the Dublin to Belfast corridor and reduce the number of stops between Drogheda and Dublin; and Annual toll passes should be introduced. Commentary / Response: Dunleer is outside of the Greater Dublin Area and, therefore, is outside the scope of this transport strategy. The Northern Line from Dublin to Drogheda will be electrified as part of the DART Expansion Programme. That will allow more frequent services to be introduced on this line. The exact stopping arrangements of individual services will be developed as part of the operational timetable at the relevant time. The issue of annual toll passes is an operational matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority). Submission No. 3 Name: Eugenia Thompson Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Dedicated Incident Support / Garda Unit should be in place on the M50 during peak traffic periods. Commentary / Response: While this is an operational issue for An Garda Siochana and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority), the draft transport strategy acknowledges in Section 6.10 the role of effective enforcement and commits to co-ordination and cooperation with An Garda Siochana in relation to enforcement and traffic management . Submission No. 4 Name: John Dunne Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Proposes a “National Network of Private Hire Services” under the auspices of ibus plc, which would see hubs acting as collector points for wider bus services, to link to with the overall Network. It would provide for interchange at locations such as Naas whereby services would interchange and provide direct links to Dublin. Proposal is for national coverage, to operate on a commercial basis. Each hub would also have significant numbers of car-parking spaces, which would enable park and ride using the direct link to Dublin. Commentary / Response: There is nothing in the draft transport strategy that would preclude private operators from seeking licences to operate such commercial services. Section 5.10 of the draft transport strategy sets out the Authority’s policy on the development of Park and Ride facilities, and the intention that the Authority will: “Assess and determine the potential for bus-based park and ride, in particular close to high quality road corridors leading from Hinterland towns, with good bus priority to commuter destinations in the Metropolitan Area”. The work carried out in preparing the strategy does suggest that it is challenging to provide successful bus-based park and ride facilities at a considerable distance from urban centres. In relation to the transport interchange element of the proposal, the draft transport strategy does include objectives in section 6.6 (Optimising Interchange and Transport Facilities) to: “Provide high quality passenger interchange points, which facilitate convenient transfer between public transport services, in various town centres throughout the region and at key transport locations in the Dublin Metropolitan Area, such as St. Stephen’s Green, Westmoreland Street/D’Olier Street, Tallaght and Blanchardstown”; “Ensure that such transport interchanges are developed in a manner where service schedules are optimally coordinated, where distances between connections are minimised to the extent practicable, where good directional signage for connections is provided and where necessary operating facilities are provided to facilitate connectivity”. The draft transport strategy also includes objectives in section 6.9 (Local Transport services) to: “Improve the integration of local transport services into the overall public transport network, through better interchange opportunities and information provision; Ensure a greater level of co-ordination between local transport services and longer distance scheduled bus and rail services; and Ensure a greater level of co-ordination between local transport services and other transport related services such as hospital and medical transport services.” Submission No. 5 Name: Brian Lenehan Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Provide an intermodal transit hub at a location like the 'Point' which provide for services to use the Port Tunnel and East Link and avoid the city centre. They could then interchange with the LUAS to access city centre. Commentary / Response: The draft transport strategy identifies the Core Bus Network and proposes its development to speed up access along its corridors. While it is intended that a number of regional and national bus services would use the M50 and the Dublin Port Tunnel to access the city centre, it would not be appropriate to redirect all national buses to one area of the city. This would impose an “interchange penalty” on passengers, who would be required to transfer to another service to access the City Centre. However, one of the intentions of the draft transport strategy, outlined in Section 6.6 (Optimising Interchange and Transport Facilities) is to facilitate the contribution that good interchange can make to the transport system. Submission No. 6 Name: Gerard Donohoe Organisation: None Summary of Submission Comments, Issues and Recommendations: Link new Metro North to Donabate. Commentary / Response: There are no plans to extend New Metro North at this stage, and work undertaken to date indicates that the additional passenger usage would be unlikely to justify the significant cost

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