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Residents oppose proposed relocation of bus terminus and traffic restrictions at Taney junction
Plans designed to transform the south Dublin suburb of Dundrum were described as “madcap” at a public meeting in the village on Wednesday night. At the meeting, organised by the group Save Dundrum Village Action Group, an estimated 400 people denounced plans to move a bus terminus from the Dundrum Luas stop and make traffic restrictions at Taney junction.
Opening the meeting, chairman Liam Coughlan said locals were “very concerned” about proposed changes to the bus terminus and plans for bus parking in residential areas. He said the plan to move the bus terminus involved a one-way bus gate running from Main Street to Sweetmount Avenue, across the Dundrum bypass and providing bus parking on Sweetmount Avenue and Churchtown Road Upper close to St Nahi’s Church.
Coughlan said the new “bus only” route involved knocking through a roadside wall on the bypass and removing seating in front of the Carnegie Library. He said traffic congestion would be very severe. He also said further changes envisaged by the council would see the closure of left-hand, slip-road turns at the Taney Road junction under the Luas suspension bridge. This would lead to knock-on traffic congestion across the wider area.
Local GP Dr Ciaran Bent said the proposals for new bus spaces were not welcomed by residents on Upper Churchtown Road, Sweetmount Avenue or parishioners at St Nahi’s Church. Nigel Pierpoint, Church of Ireland rector of Taney Parish in the Diocese of Dublin, said his parishioners, many of whom were elderly, needed parking spaces outside St Nahi’s church and he was prepared to “fight for” his parishioners.
“I think the numbers tonight show how many people are opposed to this proposal,” he said. Monsignor Paul Callan, co-parish priest of the Catholic Holy Cross Church said he felt the character and life of Dundrum village was being eroded and he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Pierpoint. A number of speakers from the floor of the meeting echoed remarks on a flyer distributed by Save Dundrum Village Action Group describing the planned changes at the Taney junction as “madcap”.
The proposal to move the bus terminus was described as “a recipe for traffic mayhem”. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s “Transforming Dundrum” project also includes a redesign of surrounding roads including Main Street and Sandyford Road in line with the “living streets” concept. This gives increased importance to pedestrian and active travel routes, over vehicular traffic. In a statement, the council said the bus changes were being developed in collaboration with the National Transport Authority and would support the BusConnects project.
It said the scheme would provide for the future redevelopment and public realm enhancement of Waldemar Terrace, at the existing bus terminus. The council said: “The plans include the provision of four bus layover spaces on Churchtown Road Upper on the approach to Taney Bridge, two bus layover spaces on Churchtown Road Upper/Sweetmount Avenue opposite St Nahi’s Church, and an additional bus layover space on the Dundrum Bypass.
“Proposals also include a bus gate, a bus-only road, connecting Dundrum Main Street to Sweetmount Avenue/Churchtown Road Upper to allow for the circulation of buses in the area, and a new bus stop on the Dundrum Bypass,” the council said. It added the plan reflects wider policy objectives “to support sustainable transport, reduce car dependency and provide a more efficient public transport network”.
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