Major Traffic Changes To Be Implemented In Ballyfermot Due To BusConnects
By: Aidan Crowley:
Major traffic flow changes are being introduced to the Ballyfermot catchment area, particularly Sarsfield Road, as part of the BusConnects Liffey Valley to City Centre project. Construction is due to start this month and will take about three years to complete, impacting local residents significantly.
The project will involve the installation of dedicated bus lanes, potential removal of car parking and diversions for general traffic, via Le Fanu Road and Kylemore Road. It will also provide for significant road layout alterations, to prioritise the movement of buses and bicycles. The scheme aims to create new bus gates and will potentially alter turning movements.
The key changes and impacts of the localised project are as follows:
(1) Dedicated bus lanes, whereby the core idea is to create priority for bus traffic, often with designated lanes, leading to road narrowing and reallocation of space.
(2) Traffic diversions, whereby general traffic will be diverted from the main bus corridor onto alternative routes, such as Le Fanu Road and Kylemore Road.
(3) The introduction of new bus gates (resticted access for buses only) on roads such as Coldcut Road, to enforce bus priority.
(4) Car parking removal, whereby roadside parking will be removed along parts of Ballyfermot Road and Sarsfield Road.
(5) The installation of new cycle lanes, whereby new, high-quality cycle lanes will be introduced along the traffic corridor.
The Liffey Valley to City Centre Core Bus Corridor (CBC) will commence on Fonthill Road at the junction with the new Liffey Valley Shopping Centre Bus Interchange and Road Improvement Scheme (BIRIS). The CBC will take a route along Fonthill Road, Ballyfermot Road, Sarsfield Road, Grattan Crescent, Emmet Road, Old Kilmainham, Mount Brown, James’s Street, Thomas Street and High Street. At the junction with Nicholas Street and Winetavern Street, the CBC will merge into the existing traffic management regime in the city centre.
A number of scheme changes were made between the published Emerging Preferred Route Option (EPRO) option and the Preferred Route Option (PRO), as follows:
(1) The design along Ballyfermot Road, between Markievicz Park and St. Laurence’s Road, was amended to reduce land take. This was done, following concerns raised by the public in relation to the impact on the park’s boundary, existing trees and residential properties.
(2) The design of Landen Road junction was refined to remove land take from the residential properties. A short section of westbound bus lane was removed and signal controlled priority was used to provide bus priority.
(3) The design along Grattan Crescent was amended, following concerns raised by the public in relation to the impact on the mature trees. This design modification resulted in the retention of the mature trees, while also providing bus priority along this section, improved footpaths and a new pedestrian crossing.
(4) Following concerns raised during the public consultation, regarding access to Old Kilmainham, Mount Brown, St. James’s Hospital and the local area, the design was refined to reduce these impacts. The bus gate at Mount Brown was amended, with the westbound bus gate being relocated to the James’s Street entrance to the hospital campus. The eastbound bus gate location was retained, but the length was shortened.
The operational hours were also refined, with the eastbound bus gate operating before midday and westbound bus gate operating after midday. This revised arrangement for the bus gate will allow access, at all times, to Ceannt Fort, St. James’s Hospital and the local area from all directions.
(5) Following further engagement with the local community in the Mount Brown and Brookfield Road areas, the proposed reversal of the existing one-way traffic system on Brookfield Road will not proceed. The existing one-way system will remain unchanged, reducing the amount of traffic that travels along Brookfield Road.
(6) The design along James’s Street and Thomas Street was amended, following concerns raised by the public in relation to the stop-start nature of the cycling provision. The design was refined to provide continuous cycle tracks on both sides of the road, along this section.
(7) The junction layouts were modified over the course of the design process, to provide more protection for cyclists along the length of the route. The modification also included the addition of separately signalised stages for cyclists at large junctions, such as Fonthill Road and Kylemore Road.
(8) The layout of all bus stops along the route has been enhanced to the latest design guidance.
(9) Some bus stop locations have been optimised, to allow better connectivity for bus passengers.
(10) Cycle facilities have been updated to the latest design guidance.
The BusConnects Liffey Valley to City Centre project proposes dedicated bus lanes on Sarsfield Road. It provides for one bus lane and one general traffic lane, each way, between the M50 bridge and Ballyfermot Road. General traffic will still travel from Sarsfield Road into Ballyfermot. However, the project prioritises bus traffic, with dedicated lanes and diversion measures in operation. The main route will go through Ballyfermot, via Coldcut Road, Ballyfermot Road and Sarsfield Road for buses, but general traffic will be diverted to ease congestion and improve bus times.
City-bound general traffic will now be diverted via Le Fanu Road and Kylemore Road, to bypass the bus corridor, rejoining Ballyfermot Road. Works include new bus priority infrastructure, potential minor land take near the existing Sarsfield Road bridge and changes to junctions such as Grattan Crescent and Con Colbert Road.
In essence, Sarsfield Road is a hotspot for the latest BusConnects changes. Overall, it is aiming for a better bus infrastructure. However, it faces intense local pushback, due to predicted negative impacts on traffic flow and community fabric, leading to ongoing negotiations and design adjustments.
Locally, there is plenty of debate over whether the design genuinely improves liveability. Critics of the project argue that it prioritises cars or doesn’t go far enough in other areas, even as plans evolve. The goal is for faster, more reliable, bus journeys with increased passenger numbers, reduced delays and better cycling and walking facilities.
In Ballyfermot, businesses have also had major issues with the proposals for a CBC, as they stand. Following a series of protests and community consultations, BusConnects agreed to amend parts of the project, by reducing the number of car parking spaces to be removed from outside of businesses.
However, concerns remain, in particular about the removal of the iconic Ballyfermot roundabout. Des Sheils and his wife, Jackie Moran, have been operating Jackie’s Florist on Ballyfermot Road for thirty-seven years.
Mr. Sheils has been involved in talks with BusConnects, with a view to changing the plans to reduce the negative impact on local businesses. He explained that progress has been made.
“The original plans would have gotten rid of 90% of the parking spaces. It would have turned half the Ballyfermot Road into a one-way system, which would have impacted greatly on the residents and deliveries and shop owners, as well”, he said.
“We’re caught between a rock and a hard place that they already had full planning permission granted. We couldn’t do a judicial review, because we just couldn’t afford it. We were told it would be about Euros 150,000, so we just knocked that on the head and went the protest way and they came around”, he added.
“We’ve had several meetings and they’ve come to see our point of view and we’ve seen their point of view, to a certain extent”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, Ms. Moran said she still believes that the bus lanes will have a negative impact on the catchment area.
“The impact will be very, very strong. Day-to-day business will not be the same, not just for me, but for all the shops along this area and really the hub of Ballyfermot is the few shops we have”, she said.
“It’s really crazy what they’re trying to do. As it is, it’s fine. We’ve got a great bus service, but what they’re trying to do from Liffey Valley to get into town quick, it’s not the answer, in my opinion”, she added.
“The Ballyfermot roundabout, if you ask anybody where they’re going in Ballyfermot, everyone says the roundabout. It’s part of our heritage and it’s part of our culture and if that goes, the heart of Ballyfermot goes”, she concluded.
BusConnects Communications Manager, Grainne Mackin, accepts that there have been “challenges” with the project.
“We’ve worked very closely with the communities. Where there are opportunities for improving and making small refinements to public realm spaces, we have worked really well with them. Obviously, there are challenges. We do recognise that we are going to be taking some on-street parking, some trees and portions of gardens. We’ve been very clear with people and we’re working very closely with them in terms of the compulsory purchase order (CPO) process around that”, she said.
“It can be challenging and obviously there are people who have concerns about it, but we’re working with a finite amount of physical space. In order for us to get in the safer cycling, the dedicated bus lanes, improving the footpaths and pedestrian areas, there will have to be compromises made”, she added.
“The schemes, we anticipate, will take between eighteen months and two years each to complete. So, in order to ensure that we keep the city moving, we plan on building approximately two schemes at any one time, maximum. Maybe three, because we obviously are aware that there will be some congestion, there will be some traffic diversions and impact on people. However, people will start to see the benefits as we open each section of the new bus lanes and cycle lanes”, she concluded.
Finally, in relation to the potential felling of mature trees along the projected route, specifically on Tyrconnell Road, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has the ultimate responsibility for this operation. The number of trees to be removed will not be known until further examination of the alignment of the route has been completed, Ms. Mackin explained on behalf of BusConnects.
“I fully understand the emotional attachment people have to trees and their urban space. Residents are telling us they would prefer to have a one-way system on their street to restrict car access, if they can keep their trees. We will minimise the impact on trees. We will put a re-planting programme in place as soon as possible to the original locations. Trees live and trees die, there is a life cycle”, she said.
“We are looking at one-way systems for cars, more restrictions on parking, removal of parking and traffic restrictions. People won’t move out of their cars unless we get relaible bus lanes”, she added.
“Dublin City Council Parks and Landscapes division has responsibility for 60,000 trees in the city, plus 40,000 trees in city parks, while we may be impacting on 1,600 trees, overall, for BusConnects”, she concluded.
