Residents of areas in north Dublin poorly served by changed bus routes have described the new system as “crazy” as they made their opposition clear to the National Transport Authority (NTA) on Wednesday.
The Finglas Bus Action Group delivered more than 700 complaints and hundreds of petition signatures to the NTA’s office on Wednesday at 2pm.
The group is made up of councillors and residents who are experiencing issues with a range of bus routes such as the recently introduced F spine, the 23 and the 24, in place of the 9 and the 83 that previously served them.
Opposition to bus routing changes has also grown in other areas, including Chapelizod, Dundrum and Bray.
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One resident, Rita Quinn, who lives in Glasnevin North, said she “can’t understand why the NTA has brought this system in when they seem to be avoiding a lot of local areas and communities where there’s a huge catchment area”.
She says there is no bus from her area that goes directly from Glasnevin Avenue and down into the city centre by O’Connell Street. She describes it as “a lot of upset for local people”.
She explained that the likes of the 24 route, which goes to Dublin Airport, now comes every 20 minutes instead of every 10 minutes as the previous route did, and is “quite full” by the time it reaches her home, meaning she cannot get a seat.
Quinn cannot drive and is reliant on buses or lifts from her husband.
“Then whether they come on time is another problem, they’re all being cancelled or they don’t arrive. It’s a crazy set-up.”
Philomena Murphy has lived in Finglas her whole life, between Beneavin Road and Finglas Village.
“The 9 and the 83 [bus routes] changed in October and it has absolutely annihilated the Beneavin Road, Collins Drive and the top of Ferndale.”
She explained how the three nursing homes that are located on Beneavin Road have been “devastated” by the bus changes.
“People are coming out from work late at night after the eight o’clock shift and they’ve to get two buses ... when the 9 stopped outside the nursing home.
“There’s older people as well in this area, and they cannot even get to town now on these because they don’t have a bus on the road any more, so they’d have to get two buses and not everybody is able to hop on and off buses all the time.”
To make it to the NTA office, Murphy had to get three different buses.
“How do people do this with wheelchairs and parents with buggies and children?” she asked.
On Tuesday evening, a public meeting was held on the BusConnects Finglas routes. Almost 100 people attended the meeting which was held in the Shamrock Lodge in Finglas.
Conor Reddy, a People Before Profit councillor for Ballymun-Finglas, said he and his colleagues received information on the new F spine, introduced on October 19th, just a week before its arrival.
“It’s been really frustrating. People have been left in the dark and communication with residents has been poor as well,” he said.
He explained that there is an absence of connection from Finglas east to the north inner city. “You have quite an older population there. People who rely on the bus to get in to do shopping or socialise – they’re now completely isolated.”
Rosanna Egan, a resident in Finglas, says she missed Wednesday’s meeting as she arrived late due to the new bus routes. She was waiting for the number 23 but it “never arrived, even though it was on their website” and had to get a taxi.
“Whoever designed this I don’t think had even been to Finglas.”
The NTA has been contacted for comment.
