Dublin transport plan to focus on 'hubs'

The Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) is to publish proposals for new higher-density commercial and residential "hubs" to be based at transport crossover points, such as those where the Metro and Luas will meet.

The DTO is also planning a radical overhaul of the bus network which would provide "spokes" feeding into local centres and rail connections, as opposed to ferrying passengers directly into the city centre.

The DTO, which spends more than €30 million of its €40 million annual budget on bus transport planning, wants to see the bus network focused on suburban centres, such as Dún Laoghaire, Dundrum, Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Swords. These would feed passengers into existing or proposed rail connections to the city centre.

The plan aims to ensure that all commuters live within walking distance of a bus route which they can take to work or to a rail connection which would bring them into the city centre.

Speaking to The Irish Times as the organisation marked its 10th year, DTO director John Henry said submissions had been made to local authority development plans from Wicklow to Navan to ensure co-ordinated land-use planning.

Mr Henry said the crossover points should not be simply "two platforms", but developed as a hub.

"You create a space around a station that becomes a commercial place and maybe you might have space over the shops that people live in. But you create a new place that is a hub because there are transport lines coming in," Mr Henry said.

The DTO had done a study which hopefully would be published within the next month or so.

"We have actually done an exercise on trying to get this concept down on paper so we can give it to the local authorities and say, look, begin to think this way," he added.

Areas suitable for redevelopment as crossover points as identified by Mr Henry include the Metro/Kildare line at Clondalkin and the Luas crossing of the Maynooth line near Glasnevin.