Sir, – Several local residents have protested about the Bus Connects plan for Terenure on the basis that the cost and alterations required are not justified by a saving of only seven minutes.
A brief review of timetables on the Dublin Bus website shows that seven bus routes go through Terenure village, the 16, 16C, 49, 15, 15A, 65 and 65B. Buses on these routes make a total of 332 journeys each week day in each direction through the village.
An average saving of seven minutes on each of those 664 journeys would result in an overall reduction of 77.5 hours per day in total times for those routes. That is two full weeks of driver time saved every day, plus the same amount in reduced petrol costs, emissions, etc.
A daily bus commuter will benefit by an average of 14 minutes per day, giving each back 70 minutes a week. Given that a bus can carry up to 80 people, those seven minutes will make a huge difference to both the financial viability of Dublin Bus, and the lives of all of those who travel on it.
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Bus Connects will allow Dublin Bus to use its resources much more efficiently, reducing costs while facilitating a greater frequency of buses and will encourage more people to use the much improved service, with huge benefits for overall traffic congestion, the environment and the lives of ordinary people. The multiplier effect is undeniable.
Seven minutes are huge, and a saving of a similar amount on all key routes would be absolutely transformative for public transport in Dublin. – Yours, etc,
JOHN THOMPSON,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – It is suggested that the BusConnects project, with its attendant significant destructive impacts on the urban environment and serious adverse impacts on communities along its route and neighbouring areas, will save no more than 10 minutes on the journey from Rathfarnham to the city centre, reducing the travel time to some 50 minutes, which no doubt over time will be eroded significantly as congestion worsens.
An underground metro corridor, apart from having infinitely greater carrying capacity and the possibility of increased journey frequencies, would complete the same distance in 20 minutes. – Yours, etc,
PHILIP O’REILLY,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.