Proposals for the National Transport Authority Bus Connects Corridor 12 from Rathfarnham to the City Centre are being met with strong opposition from local residents and businesses. Rathgar Road Resident’s Group has joined neighbours from Rathfarnham, Templeogue and Terenure by launching the ‘Rathgar Is A Community Not A Corridor’ campaign. Collectively they are challenging the National Transport Authority’s Proposals for Corridor 12, which will see the destruction of communities and heritage to save 7 minutes bus travel time from Rathfarnham to Dublin City Centre at an estimated cost of up to €120 million.

 

The recent Community Forum meetings held by the NTA on 10th February in the Hilton Hotel Charlemont Place and St Mary’s Rugby Club, Templeogue on 25th February attracted large numbers as awareness of the plan to develop a six lane highway running through the urban villages of Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Terenure, Rathgar into Rathmines increases.

 

Notification of the Rathfarnham to the City Centre Bus Connects Corridor 12 Project were sent to some residents in the middle of January 2019, requesting objections to the proposals to be raised before March 29th 2019. However public awareness of the proposals and the potential impact of the project, remain exceptionally low. Following requests from the representative groups and individuals, the NTA has agreed to an extension of the date to April 30th.

 

The key concern of the Rathgar Road Residents Group is the scale of the proposal which outlines the introduction of a 6 lane highway comprising 2 car lanes, 2 bus lanes, 2 cycle lanes and footpaths along the proposed Corridor 12, running into pinch points at the urban villages of Terenure, Rathgar and Rathmines. CPOs of between 4 metres and 6 metres from 255 properties on Corridor 12 alone are proposed. The impact of the development will seriously cause devastating damage to local communities and businesses, compromise safety, while destroying the environment and heritage of the area. 

 

The NTA has outlined that Core Bus Corridor (CBC) is designed to improve bus timing and reliability. However the Feasibility Report (page 22) states /outlines that there could be a 7 minute improvement of bus timings from City Centre to Rathfarnham and a 8 minute improvement the opposite direction.  These 7/8 minutes include the benefit of introducing cashless payments also.

The estimated cost of the proposed Rathfarnham to City Centre Core Bus Corridor scheme infrastructure is anticipated to be in the region of €40-48 million excluding VAT (page 21). However this cost only relates to infrastructure and does not include CPOs and other expenses including reinstating house entrances and expensive property devaluation payments. It has been suggested that costs will be in the region of €120 million for Corridor 12 alone. Construction of the corridor will take two years to complete.

 

Commenting on the NTA’s Bus Connects Corridor 12 proposals, Rathgar Road Resident Group Spokesperson, Anne Marie James; "This plan is ill thought out and unworkable. Alleged savings of seven to eight minutes commute time for an estimated €120 million can be achieved in different and cheaper ways.  It will be a disaster for local communities, businesses and taxpayers. It will destroy local businesses, historical villages and local communities and will create chaos on every side road to town” 

 

Rathgar Road Resident’s Group has launched the ‘Rathgar is Community Not A Corridor’ campaign to raise awareness of the National Transport Authority Bus Connects Corridor 12 proposals among the local and wider communities. The goal is to save the local communities and businesses, to ensure safety for everyone in particular children and the elderly, to protect the environment and maintain the unique heritage of these areas.

 

Local politicians including Fine Fail TD Jim O’Callaghan, Fine Gael TDs Kate O’Connell and Colm Brophy, Green Party’s Eamonn Ryan along with local councillors Fine Gael’s Anne Feeney, Independent Ruairi McGinley, Labour’s Mary Freehill, Fine Fail’s John Lahart and Michael Mullooly, Alex White and Senator Kevin Humphries together with heritage and conservation expert Deirdre Conroy, have attended the meetings to voice their concerns.