— O’Connell St bus lane is from William St to Cecil St is Limerick City Centre’s only bus lane.
— Buses use street over 100 times a day, part of street revamp case was public transport priority.
— Sustainable transport campaigners said a popular vote seems “a cruel way to decide if people should have to stand waiting 5 or 10 minutes longer for a bus in the depths of December”.
While Dublin is moving towards more and more 24-hour bus lanes, Limerick City and County Council have started a public consultation to time-restrict the only city centre bus lane in Limerick City, on O’Connell Street.
Time-limited bus lanes are associated with lower compliance from motorists. But the move in Limerick comes after councillors backed a call from a limited number of business owners to “open up” — or, in plain English, close the bus lane and remove bus priority generally.
The business owners represented by the Limerick City Traders Association sought for this to be done in the run-up to Christmas to allow motorists to use the lane. Motorists can already use the lane beside the bus lane while the bus lane is kept free to give buses a level of priority.
Cllr Sarah Kiely (FG), on her Facebook page, said: “Thank you to Cllr Daniel Butler who supported my motion last Friday on the proposal outlined below. Let me know what you think and please submit your views.”
In a video on the post, she said: “We should open up the bus lane to at non-peak times for normal traffic to help alleviate congestion… this will be done on a trial basis for the month of December to increase footfall in the city centre.”
Limerick’s directly elected Mayor, John Moran, who opposed the move to fully close the bus lane, asked the traders’ group at a recent council meeting to support the claim that they represent over 100 retailers. According to more than one local source, this seemed to annoy the councillors even further, but no answer was forthcoming.
But when questioned about his position by a member of the public on X (formally Twitter), Mayor Moran last week said: “We had a fuller discussion on this at the last full council meeting and moved in a different direction than suggested at the time of this article. We agreed to look at some practical suggestions and asks for off-peak times but agreed that the bus lane at peak hours was important to protect.”
He added: There are also important hurdles like public consultations for some suggestions that in practice make many ideas however attractive impossible to implement for 2024. But engagement is ongoing.”
But now the council is consulting on implementing the measure before Christmas. The consultation page said: “The public are being asked whether they are in favour of the O’Connell Street Bus Lane hours being reduced from the current 24hour operation to the hours of 07:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 19:00 Mon-Fri until the end of December 2024.”
The council said that views can be expressed via the survey, which will be open until noon on Wednesday, December 11th, or by email to [email protected].
The consultation has been branded as a “farce” after the consultation page on the council’s website includes a poll which allows people to vote repeatedly — similar to a Twitter or newspaper website poll in style, but with no apparent restriction on the number of times somebody can vote.
After several members of the public outlined the issue with the poll at mypoint.limerick.ie, IrishCycle.com tested and was able to vote twice. For balance, both the yes and no options were voted on twice.
Generally, newspaper and social media companies put basic measures in place to stop repeated voting in online polls but none of these have been implemented by the council. Concerns have also been expressed that the best practice for councils is to require people to log in to the consultation page and provide contact details.
IrishCycle.com contacted Limerick City and County Council this afternoon after 4pm and no reply was forthcoming.
When the bus lane closure was mooted last month, the Limerick Pedestrian Network said: “Closing the O’Connell Street bus lane would be an immensely backward step for Limerick Council to take. It’s incredibly disappointing that some local councillors continue to push the idea. This cannot be allowed to happen.”
The group said: “The O’Connell Street bus lane shortens the travel time through the city centre by about five minutes for every journey. Even currently at just a few blocks long, it makes taking a sustainable travel bus trip massively more attractive to everyone… We need more bus lanes in Limerick, not fewer.”
Today, Eoin Buckley, a committee member of the Limerick Pedestrian Network, said: “A popular vote seems a cruel way to decide if people should have to stand waiting 5 or 10 minutes longer for a bus in the depths of December. Those voting to scrap the bus lane will pass those waiting while in the comfort of their cars. Shameful stuff Limerick, simply shameful.”
Dave Tobin, vice chair of the Irish Cycling Campaign and a local campaigner for suitable transport, said: “As someone dedicated to promoting sustainable travel, I’m deeply concerned about the proposal to close the bus lane on O’Connell Street, especially during such a critical time of year.”
“Ensuring easy and efficient access to the city is essential for supporting our local traders and businesses during the busy Christmas period. This decision risks deterring visitors and customers, ultimately undermining the success of the season for everyone,” he said.
He said: “The consultation being run through the Limerick City / County Council MyPoint system is a complete farce. By allowing people to vote multiple times without requiring login or verification, it undermines any credibility the process might have had. This is not a genuine attempt to engage with the community; it’s a poorly designed exercise that will produce invalid results and risks being manipulated to justify a pre-determined outcome.”
Tobin said that the council’s approach to this issue is “deeply concerning” and has the potential to harm public trust in decision-making due to a lack of transparency, accountability, and inclusion. He said that the city has provided a “consultation that invites abuse”.
He said the leadership on display is one that “prioritises cars over people” and that the city deserves better.
“Public transport is vital for so many in our community, especially those who don’t own cars. By removing the bus lane, we’re undermining the reliability of buses and making it harder for people to get around the city efficiently,” he said. “Public transport plays a crucial role in reducing the number of cars on the road, freeing up space for those who genuinely need to drive, such as delivery vehicles, emergency services, and individuals with mobility challenges.”
He said that the section of bus lane “might seem insignificant”, but it provides “a critical time saving of up to 10 minutes” for workers, shoppers, and city visitors using public transport into the city centre.
“Especially during the busy Christmas season, these minutes can make a huge difference in convenience and reliability. Removing the bus lane risks discouraging people from using public transport, leading to fewer customers coming into the city and lost revenue for local traders. This decision doesn’t just inconvenience bus users; it hurts businesses that depend on a steady flow of customers who rely on efficient and accessible public transport,” he said.
Tobin also highlighted that the design of O’Connell Street is “already a challenging route for pedestrians in particular, and removing the bus lane will create even more congestion and hazards.” He said that the decision “puts vulnerable road users at significantly increased risk especially at the section where the council removed the essential pedestrian crossing between Bedford Row and Thomas St.”
He added: “The festive period is busy, but encouraging more cars into the city centre is not the solution. Efficient public transport and safe cycling routes make the city more accessible for everyone, including shoppers who need to drive.”