Council calls for controversial Bus Connects plan to go "back to the drawing board."
A motion by Fianna Fáil Councillors to "reject" the National Transport Authority's controversial Bus Connects plan was reworded to support an “extensive revision” of the bus plans.
A strongly worded motion calling on Cork City Council to “reject” the National Transport Authority’s controversial Bus Connects plan for Cork was proposed by five Fianna Fáil councillors at Cork City Council’s meeting on Monday night.
The €600 million Bus Connects plan would see 93km of bus lanes and 112km of cycle lanes created over 12 sustainable transport corridors in Cork city.
However, it has drawn a large number of objections from community groups citywide for the number of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) it would require, the removal of on-street parking and the removal of mature trees, as well as claims that the NTA’s public engagement has been substandard in places.
Initial pre-public engagement plans required the CPO of 993 gardens, the removal of 1,338 trees and the removal of 1,040 on-street parking spaces.
A public submission process that closed on October 3 attracted 1,683 submissions, with both objections and submissions in support of the plan.
An updated plan, following on from public submissions, will become available in February 2023.
Monday night’s motion, from Fianna Fáil councillors Terry Shannon, John Sheehan, Tony Fitzgerald, Colm Kelleher and Mary Rose Desmond, came after Taoiseach Mícheál Martin claimed on Saturday that elderly Cork people had been “left crying in their homes” with worry having received letters from the National Transport Authority (NTA).
The motion further called on the NTA to:
Engage in meaningful consultation with residents who are affected by CPOs, these consultations should be held in person and on site.
Agree to organise a 3rd public consultation process.
Agree to hold more frequent and smaller/more targeted community forum to enable residents to engage with the NRA on a more local basis.
Agree to establish a permanent office in Cork City to ensure that the public can engage with the NRA on an ongoing basis.
Agree to engage a professional communication team due to the size and scale of the BusConnects project where €600 million of public money is being spent, to review the disastrous publicity/leaflet distribution campaign and commit to developing a meaningful and comprehensive publicity/communication campaign in the future.
While most councillors were in agreement as to the five points above, calling on the council to ”reject” the NTA caused political division amongst councillors and a debate that lasted until almost 10pm.
Cllr Seán Martin, FF, said councillors were “getting it in the neck in relation to Bus Connects” and slammed the impacts of the plan on older and more central areas of the city. “The only people who are being discommoded here are people in older parishes, because people in the leafy suburbs want to get into the city faster,” he said.
The entire public engagement process needed to go “back to the drawing board,” he said.
However, political lines were drawn, with Cllr Mick Nugent, SF, saying the use of the term “reject” in the motion was wrong.
“The Sinn Féin group have been deeply disappointed in the Bus Connects plan and it needs extensive revisions,” he said. “But the NTA are saying they are open to changes. If we reject it all now, we’re back to square one.”
Several Fine Gael councillors supported the Fianna Fáil motion. “My community most certainly rejects these proposals and I’ve yet to see a community that accepts them,” Cllr Joe Kavanagh said. “Nobody wants private parking removed from outside their houses. Here we are trying to shoehorn bus lanes and cycle lanes into roads that are just too small. Bus lanes and cycle lanes are great when there’s the space for them.”
Green Party councillor Oliver Moran proposed an amended wording that the council support “extensive revision” of the Bus Connects plan. This wording carried, with 13 councillors voting for it and 10 against.
Cllr John Maher, Labour, said he took exception to Cllr Seán Martin’s “leafy suburbs” comment and that in the Mayfield and Glanmire areas, Bus Connects would “give people options. It’s redistributing space, not taking from anyone. It’s a shift.”
“Without being too sarcastic about it, is it easier to contemplate the end of humanity rather than the end of your on-street parking?” Cllr Colette Finn said. “Over 50% of people who come into Cork City use the bus. So the idea that you need a car to get into the city is just not true.”
Despite the robust debate, almost all councillors were in agreement that the NTA’s methods of public engagement were in need of improvement, and many raised concerns about local democracy’s position in the plans, which will go straight to An Bórd Pleanála instead of seeking planning approval from the local authority.
'Redistributing space' .. yeah like Thatcher redistributed taxes. Great article , thanks Ellie !