People power stops buses

People-power pressured City Councillors into a welcome U-turn over the proposed bus corridor through Merlin Woods.

Just three years ago, a majority of elected members voted to leave in the City Development Plan a proposal for a bus corridor through the popular, medieval woods on the eastern outskirts of the city.

But with the May local election looming, and an upsurge of public support against the new bus lanes, City Councillors rowed-back under sustained pressure from lobbying locals.

The campaign to save the woods, spearheaded by Friends of Merlin Woods, appears successful – on Monday, all 15 Councillors unanimously backed a motion to have the development plan varied to take out reference to a bus corridor through the woodlands.

The decision is a blow to officials at City Hall, who had proposed the corridor was necessary for the provision of proper public transport and planning for the new planned town of Ardaun.

It has been in the city’s development plans, which are voted on by Councillors, since 2005.

It was planned the 1.9 kilometre stretch of bus corridor would connect the new town of Ardaun with the city centre and provide a new entrance to Merlin Park Hospital. 

The 15 councillors backed a motion proposed by Frank Fahey (FG) and seconded by Colette Connolly (Lab), to remove the objective in the City Development Plan to put a bus corridor through Merlin Woods.

Cllr Fahy is an original member of the Friends of Merlin Woods group and has campaigned on this issue for years. “This is a victory for people power,” said Cllr Fahy.

He added: “There are members of this Council who were there in the last Council that passed the development plan with this objective in it and I’m delighted that they have changed their minds.

“I’m over the moon – we had 2,100 people who signed a petition to save the woods and it’s a fantastic achievement. It effectively saves the woods – now we can start using it again and generating an interest in it.

“It was completely illogical, the plan to put a ‘Quality Bus Corridor’ as they call it through there. It was always nonsense. What we need is bus lanes on the Dublin Road.”

 For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.