Local T.D. John Curran, has said that the Government’s Climate Action Plan does not offer any new public transport initiatives to relieve congestion for Dublin commuters. He commented, “Public transport is required daily by hundreds of thousands of Dublin Commuters. It is absolutely central to the effort to encourage behavioural change and properly respond to climate change. However, the absence of any meaningful new proposals in this area add to concerns that for the Government, this recent launch was yet more Spin over Substance and more about telling a story than introducing real change.
“It was very disappointing that after all the fan fare this week at the Government’s Climate Action Plan Launch there was not one mention of fast tracking the Luas to Lucan project or even securing a real timescale for this project. “Lucan continues to lag way behind in terms of congestion and transport infrastructure in the City. It’s quite difficult to comprehend that the Lucan Luas project will not be operational until sometime after 2027 with no firm date set. At this rate of planning and strategic development it could well be 2040 before we see a Luas in Lucan and therefore offering no real green alternative for Lucan commuters “There are significant gaps in existing services in Lucan; Dublin Bus routes are currently insufficient to deal with the growing population and traffic congestion remains a real issue for most. “The Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035 still has no plan to advance the Metro West Project. Metro West was proposed under Transport 21 and was a planned orbital transport route linking Tallaght, Clondalkin, Lucan, Blanchardstown, and connecting to Metro North to the Airport.
“The fact that the Metro West project and Lucan Luas has been excluded from this Climate Action Plan altogether is very disappointing and shows a real lack of vision for transport West of the City. “West Dublin has seen massive population growth in recent years, with two new planned SDZ Towns at Adamstown and Clonburris with an additional plan of 20,000 homes; the location of two major hospitals; two 3rd Level Colleges; three large shopping centres and the N4, N7 and M50 routes seriously congested. “To not advance the planning process of these two major projects is the wrong decision and shows a worrying lack of vision for public transport in Dublin. Now is the time to plan for the future with a strategic vision for our Capital City and to offer commuters real alternatives with sustainable public transport”, concluded Deputy Curran.
