Paul Donnelly

Overall sentiment: 0.08
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I live in Dublin 15. It has a population of over 120,000 and it is predicted to go to 140,000 in 2029. Yet, we do not have the long promised direct bus to the airport. I can get a direct bus pretty much from anywhere in the Thirty-two Counties but if I want to head to the airport, I have to pay €50 for a taxi or get two buses. This is not an option for the hundreds who work in the airport. Can the Minister get onto the NTA and ask about it? It has been promised for every single year since 2024 but has not turned up. In Tyrrelstown, a complete review of the public transport system is needed. It is not working for the people and there is no plan to go into Kilmartin, which is a huge new estate. I ask the Minister to please ask the NTA to have a look at forward planning and get its act together. We have the new active travel plan on the N3-M50. That is brilliant. It is a bus lane that will make it faster for residents in Littlepace to get into town. What does the NTA do? It removes the number 70 bus that will bring people directly onto the new bus lane and leaves a pointless cycle lane that goes across the N3 to a garage. Once again, the NTA needs to start listening to the people. Metro west has been cancelled until 2042. I am pleading with the Minister to please put this back on the agenda because how long has it taken for Metro north to get to this stage? We will all be retired - actually we will probably all have shuffled off this mortal coil - by the time it is done. It will connect the DART+ to Maynooth and the newly proposed Navan rail line at metro north. We know the M50 is at capacity. If that is not a reason to get it started now, I do not know what is. It is really time for the public transport network system to be a network system that works for all. We see it in every major European country. The DART+ will be brilliant when it comes into play but it is very disjointed. We need metro west connecting with DART+. We need BusConnects and the NTA listening to the people who are on the ground - they are the bus users and know what works. I urge the Minister to have a chat with the NTA and ask it to listen to us.

Sentiment score: 0.08