Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed the recent launch of the second round of public consultation for the Cork Draft Bus Network Redesign, but has asked the National Transport Authority to liase with the general public as much as possible, especially those who are currently regular bus journey users. The Network Design forms a core part of the overall BusConnects Cork Programme. This round of public consultation will be on the BusConnects Cork Draft New Bus Network.
In July 2021, the NTA held an initial public consultation on BusConnects Cork. The survey style consultation gave the people of Cork the opportunity to help shape a new bus network by providing views on a how a new network would best service everyone. There were almost 1,200 responses to the survey and many more engagements. These responses informed the design of a Draft New Bus Network for the Cork Metropolitan Area, which will now be published for review and feedback.
Cllr McCarthy noted: “The current use of public transport is only 5% of the overall modal movement within the city, which is very low compared to other cities of Cork’s size in western Europe. Bus Connects is very ambitious to raise the use of public transport. There are challenges – especially at certain times of the day there when it comes to dealing with traffic congestion, and hence at certain times of days, buses are late across many routes”.
Cllr McCarthy continued; “The ambition is great but it is also very important to reach out to existing bus consumers. I have already had bus users from Ballinlough to Douglas coming forward to me with concerns and suggestions. I would also ask regular bus users to have a close look at the Cork Draft New Bus Network. Informationcan now be found on the website www.busconnects.ie/busconnects-cork. I will be making my own submissions. If people wish me to raise their concerns as well, send me an email on kieran_mccarthy@corkcity.ie”
The consultation period for the BusConnects will run from Tuesday 2 November to Friday 10 December 2021. The consultation portal is available on the website and submissions can be made there. Seven Local Area Booklets are available on the website and will also be delivered to over 160,000 premises in the coming weeks. Virtual public meetings will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 17 November (@6.30pm), Wednesday 24 November (@1.30pm) and Tuesday 30 November (@6.30pm). Additional virtual events may be scheduled subject to interest. Further details as well as registration links can be found on the website.