NTA to step up information campaign on Cork BusConnects after local concerns
And Second Service, The New City For Include Routes, A 24 Direct More Network High Bus Bus Routes Hour Revamped Several New Frequency
The National Transport Authority (NTA) is to distribute 95,000 leaflets about its contentious plans for a dozen 'super' bus corridors in Cork across the city from next week.
The information leaflets, which will go to homes and businesses in the area, will outline the scale of its ‘sustainable transport corridors’ (STCs) plans for the city, which were unveiled in June as part of the wider BusConnects Cork plan, which aims to deliver 93km of bus lanes in parallel with the complete overhaul and modernisation of the city’s public bus system.
Earlier this year, it unveiled a revamped bus network for the city, which it says will bring thousands of people closer to more frequent services, with new more direct routes, a second 24-hour bus service, and several new high-frequency routes announced.
But in June, the NTA also published its preferred route options for 12 STCs, which it says are vital to ensure the new network operates effectively and efficiently.
The 12 routes include 10 which will connect Dunkettle, Mayfield, Blackpool, Hollyhill, Ballincollig, Bishopstown, Togher, the airport road, Maryborough Hill and Mahon, to the city centre, with the other two linking Sunday’s Well to Hollyhill, and the Kinsale Road to Douglas.
The draft STC plans have caused controversy in dozens of communities, with people in some areas set to lose parts of their gardens, and on-street parking spaces at risk in many other areas.
Initial plans for a bridge over the Mangala amenity in Douglas have effectively been scrapped already because of local uproar.
Now, ahead of a series of community engagements on the project, the NTA says it plans to distribute an information leaflet on the scheme to more than 95,000 homes and businesses across Cork City in the coming weeks.
The information leaflet will detail how people can review the initial proposals on the BusConnects website, how to give feedback, and crucially, it will explain how resident groups and community organisations can register for the community forums which will be held in September.
Details of these meetings will be announced later this month.
The NTA has defended BusConnects as an investment in a sustainable future for Cork, insisting the new STCs will benefit the city by creating a more efficient public transport network, by reducing bus journey times and by creating a safer environment for cyclists and pedestrians.
The closing date for receipt of submissions on the scheme is October 3.