Bus Lanes On Motorways Key To Easing Congestion- Fine Gael

Fine Gael Senator Anthony Lawlor has said that bus lanes on motorways could be the key to easing traffic congestion.

The Kildare Senator has contacted the National Transport Authority (NTA) to propose that the hard shoulders of some motorways be widened to accommodate bus and coach lanes.

The NTA plan to conduct research into the feasibility of the proposal on the N4/M4 corridor in Maynooth.

Speaking on the matter Senator Lawlor said: "Our recovering economy has led to increased traffic congestion on the motorways of this country. As a Kildare native I experience it every day on the N7 travelling to Dublin for my Oireachtas work.

"Encouraging the use of buses and coaches is good public policy, as it is both the right thing to do from an environmental perspective and it eases traffic congestion generally for those who have to use cars for whatever reason.

"The M1 motorway approaching Belfast is a great example of the successful use of hard shoulders as bus lanes, and I would like to see the NTA consider replicating this here. Having been constructed many years ago, the hard shoulders on the M1 in Belfast are wider than more recently constructed motorways in this jurisdiction. So road widening may be needed here to allow buses to travel safely. It would be important also that also all future motorway projects should consider road width to ensure the hard shoulder could be used as a bus lane."

Senator Lawlor pledged to continue to engage constructively with the NTA on this idea in the hope that it is a viable solution to ease congestion for commuters all across the country.



(JG/CM)