Sir, – When will Transport Infrastructure Ireland respond to the needs of people on the northside who depend exclusively on public transport? Stephen Douglas (Letters, August 8th) points out that the stretch of the North Circular Road between the Phoenix Park and Berkeley Road, formerly served by the 46A bus route – and before that, the 10 – has been replaced by the 11/11A which is infrequent and undependable.
Those travelling along this route to get to the Mater hospital, city centre, churches, doctors’ surgeries and shops are left waiting for very long periods of time. I have witnessed wheelchair and mobility scooter users being denied access when a bus finally comes because of overcrowding.
Why not introduce an additional 11C route every 15 minutes that would travel between the Phoenix Park and Parnell Square in a continuous loop – an alternative route which has already been used during traffic disruptions – to supplement the present 11/11A bus which has extended routes to destinations south of the Liffey already well served by other routes that are more regular?
While on the subject of the 11 bus, why not have a stop on Parkgate Street that would take passengers up the very steep Infirmary Road to the present terminus – a hill made increasingly difficult for people like me to climb with advancing age? Of course, I have made repeated representations to Transport Infrastructure Ireland on this point, to no avail.
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Finally, whatever happened to the printed bus timetables that told you the streets and intervening stops serving each bus route between its starting point and its terminus, as well as approximate travelling times between stages? All we have now is a list of the times the bus leaves a given starting point. People shouldn’t have to go online each time they make a journey to find out the possible connections, etc. The older timetables were a valuable tool in planning journeys ahead of time.
Please, let’s value public transport and listen to those of us who most need it. – Yours, etc,
THÉRÈSE OSBORNE,
Dublin 8.
