Transport | Provisions for future realignment plans for public transport

To ask the Minister for Transport if adequate provision is being made to ensure that existing roads, bus stops and train stations, that may be due for realignment in the future will have due regard for existing residents and communities and that this be borne in mind at all times; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

I am writing to you concerning the matters you raised in Parliamentary Question No. 202 on 22 September last, which have been referred to the National Transport Authority (NTA) for reply.

From the perspective of the NTA, public consultation is a central part of the development process for individual projects. Appropriate dialogue and engagement with communities and residents impacted by particular proposals are essential to ensure that their concerns and issues are carefully considered in the project’s design and delivery. Clearly, it isn’t always possible for all issues to be resolved, but good engagement can lead to better understandings and potential solutions in many cases.

Where the NTA is developing projects itself, as in the case of BusConnects Dublin, extensive consultations are undertaken, with the feedback received leading to beneficial changes. Where the NTA is the oversight and funding body for projects being developed by other agencies, we also require that appropriate consultations are undertaken.