— Changes “utter insult to public, active transport users and the planning process”, says group.
— Junction to replace Ballyfermot roundabout “confusing and dangerous for all road users”
— Planned playground areas to be replaced by extra car parking.
— “Shared footway cycleway along retail frontage” proposed.
Draft changes to the BusConnects Liffey Valley to City Centre Scheme, which would see the removal of the inbound bus lane and other bus priority measures around Ballyfermot village, have been criticised by local and city-wide groups.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) received planning approval for the west Dublin scheme from An Bord Pleanála in December 2023. But since then, the authority has been engaging with those who have complained about the project.
There were expectations that there might be changes to detailed design and even access arrangements into Tesco in Ballyfermot, but the level of the changes now being proposed is seen as too much of a fundamental departure from the planning approval of the project.
The proposed changes include the removal of sections of the planned bus lane on Ballyfermot Road, and a radically different junction design is now proposed at the location of the Ballyfermot Roundabout. The new proposals are described as an “increased risk for pedestrians and people cycling due to longer crossings”, and danger for all road users because of what is being described as a “confusing junction redesign”.
The location has received media attention in recent years with a “save our roundabout” campaign and a local parish, Fr Adrian Egan, stating that “part of the identity of Ballyfermot is being taken away” by the removal of the roundabout outside Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
The NTA is also proposing to scrap planned mini-playgrounds to create extra car parking outside a church and what appears to be a new cut-through at the church, which campaign groups say will encourage rat-running, which will conflict with the movement of children walking and cycling to school and buses.
Gráinne Mackin, director of communications with BusConnects, said: “Following concerns expressed at local level, and numerous requests by public representatives for further engagement with the local community, the NTA agreed to meet with representatives of the Ballyfermot community.”
“The NTA in conjunction with public representatives and a representative community group have been exploring possible refinements to a short section of the Scheme in the Ballyfermot area,” she said.
She said: “The possible refinements include enhanced public realm space at the current Ballyfermot roundabout location – whilst still maintaining the bus priority and cycling facilities within our planning approval.”
Mackin added: “They also include consideration of the potential for some additional parking spaces on Ballyfermot Road, and an exploration of the deferral of the one-way arrangement between Le Fanu Road and Kylemore Road. Engagement with the community is ongoing and no final decisions have been made yet.”
The NTA did not directly reply to IrishCycle.com question of how the removal of a significant portion of the bus priority can comply with the planning approval for the project, or how the NTA can justify the lack of transparency by negotiating with just those objecting to the project on such key issues.
The drawings attached to this article were sent to local councillors in January 2025, but the NTA did not publish them on their website, and only a few were used in a recent RTE article.
The proposals have, however, prompted local and city-wide groups to call for bus priority, active travel and place-making not to be watered down in Ballyfermot.
A new local campaign, Ballyer in Motion, has launched a petition to “make Ballyfermot friendlier for all road users” and make it into “a place where our kids can walk, scoot or cycle to school / the park / Nanny’s house safely.”
They called the removal of the eastbound bus lane “a betrayal of the promises made to our community”.
Ballyer in Motion was started by Katie and Orla, who describe themselves as “two Ballyer mams doing our best to use sustainable transport with our young families.”
They said: “We’ve been actively engaged with BusConnects since public consultation began in 2018. The approved plans will make it safer and more attractive to walk, cycle, and use the bus — cutting traffic for those who still need to drive.”
“We were floored to see the rollback designs,” the two said, referring to designs which featured in a recent RTÉ article. “That’s why we’ve launched Ballyer in Motion—to push back and keep our streets moving forward.”
“After years of careful research, community engagement and planning, the NTA received approval for a plan that would make our roads safer for all road users. However, now the NTA has proposed major revisions just months before construction begins. These changes seriously undermine the original vision for a safer, more sustainable, and commuter-friendly Ballyfermot,” the two said.
They added: “The original plan went through multiple public consultations, expert reviews, and was approved by An Bord Pleanála. These last-minute alterations ignore that process and favour private car traffic over the public good.”
The Dublin Commuter Coalition — a city-wide campaign group which supports sustainable transport — have also criticised the proposed changes.
Jason Cullen, chairperson of the Dublin Commuter Coalition, said the changes are an “utter insult to public, active transport users and the planning process itself.”
Cullen said: “It’s quite clear to anyone who understands transport design that this proposed approach will completely undermine the corridor by removing the east-bound bus lane, while also making the junction worse for everybody.”
He said: “The impact of these changes would completely undermine the traffic assessments that took place as part of the formal planning process and were approved by an Bord Pleanala.”
“Local residents will also miss out on two new children’s playgrounds which have been removed to facilitate car parking spaces outside the church and an access way that will likely allow cars to skip the lights at the junction,” he said.
Cullen said: “The new layout also makes the junction far more confusing and dangerous for all road users. Not only are crossing distances for pedestrians increased, which will further delay vehicular traffic, the layout creates a new stopping point halfway through the junction. The newly proposed green area in front of the church is a very worrying point of conflict between various users as the area will clearly be used for drivers to skip the junction between Ballyfermot Road and Kylemore Road.”
He added: “We are calling on the NTA and elected officials to immediately return the Liffey Valley BusConnects route back to the version that went through various rounds of consultation and was approved by An Bord Pleanala. The Commuters of Dublin are relying on the BusConnects project to deliver on its objectives. To reduce congestion, support active travel and make Dublin a more commuter-friendly city. We will not accept last-minute changes to facilitate the selfish interests of private motorists.”
