The findings of the transport survey ran by local TDs Eoin O’Broin and Mark Ward following a range of concerns raised during the 2020 General Election was launched recently. This survey provides a ‘ground truth’ of the transport situation – problems and solutions – in Lucan, with people telling their own experiences and presenting problems, analysis and solutions in their own words. Deputies Ward and Ó Broin will be meeting with the National Transport Authority, Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and the Department of Transport in the coming period to discuss the findings of the survey.
The main findings of the survey were that:
- The residents of Lucan are predominantly families with teenage or younger children, with
very few older people;
- Transport is important, 96.8% rating it very important or important;
- Residents needed transport for work (the main reason), shopping, social and other purposes,
appointments and getting children to school;
- The single main forms of transport used were car, 56.5%; bus, 30.6%; train, 9.2%; and bicycle
and walking, both 1.8%;
- The average commute is 51.68min one way, or 103.36mins daily.
Some of the issues raised by residents included:
- The high cost of public transport.
- A lack of services such as the absence of a bus from Lucan to Clondalkin.
- “Nightmare” traffic
- And a desire to cycle more but a reluctance to do so due to “unsafe” cycling infrastructure
Teachta Eoin O’Broin speaking ahead of Monday’s launch said: “Transport was a major issue in the last General Election and the findings of this survey confirm how much work is needed in Lucan to ensure our residents can get to where they need to be in a reasonable amount of time, or in some cases get there at all. Significant residential development has taken place in recent years in Adamstown putting existing transport networks under severe pressure. Some of the respondents reported not being able to get to college lectures while others on night shifts couldn’t get back from work due to a lack of services and bad timetabling. Clearly there is a need for greater investment to ensure adequate public transport.”
Teachta Mark Ward said: “The people of Lucan have spoken on how they get around and I am hopeful that the NTA will listen. We need to dramatically improve our public transport system in this area, not just for the sake of our residents but also in the context of climate change. In the coming years the Clonburris SDZ will bring much needed residential development. It is crucial that increased investment in public transport and active mobility infrastructure runs in parallel with the new housing. The UN Climate report published this week outlined how we need to do more to cut our carbon footprint; public transport and adequate infrastructure such as more cycle lanes can play a big role in this. Until we get this right, we cannot expect residents en mass to change their habits in terms of getting around.”
Both TDs are urging South Dublin County Council, the NTA and the Department of Transport to listen to the solutions proposed within the survey and work to implement them. Sinn Féin will be distributing a summary of the survey door to door in the coming weeks. For a full copy of the survey and its findings contact your local Sinn Féin office. Deputies Ward and Ó Broin will be meeting with the National Transport Authority, Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and the Department of Transport in the coming period to discuss the findings of the survey.
