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Traffic restrictions at new children's hospital under NTA plans

The NTA said that the plans would not affect access to the hospital
The NTA said that the plans would not affect access to the hospital

The entrance to the new National Children's Hospital will be subject to traffic restrictions as part of plans to improve Dublin's bus corridors.

Traffic exiting the hospital would be only able to turn west while a planned busgate to the east of the entrance would stop private cars going past and into the city centre.

In an information booklet, the National Transport Authority (NTA) said this will not affect access to the hospital and adds "this access strategy is currently in development with the St James Children's Hospital delivery team and Dublin City Council and may be subject to change".

The measure is part of plans for the Liffey Valley bus corridor, one of six routes for which details have been published as part of a second phase of public consultation.

The other routes are Clondalkin to Drimnagh, Greenhills to the city centre, Tallaght to Terenure, Rathfarnham to the city centre, and Kimmage to the city centre.

The NTA says it has contacted 665 property owners on the routes who may be affected by the plans, which involve the creation of two bus lanes, two general traffic lanes and two cycling lane where possible.

The "land take" can affect driveways, front gardens, commercial property or green space and the six routes will altogether involve 665 individual plots of land, as well as the removal of 180 parking spaces and 290 trees.

Property owners will be offered financial compensation, while the NTA says it will try to provide alternative parking and replant trees.

The Rathfarnham route affects the most properties, with 255 facing land take mainly along Terenure Road East, Rathgar Road and Rathfarnham Road.

The Greenhillls to City Centre route has 220 properties affected, mainly along Greenhills Road, Drimnagh Road, Crumlin Road and Walkinstown Road.

Part of the grounds of Our Lady's Hospice may be needed for the Kimmage route, while parts of grounds of Cherry Orchard Hospital and green space in three Ballyfermot schools may be needed for the Liffey Valley route.

Other plans include a new cycle route though Portobello, bus priority measures and a ban on private cars on some sections of road, such as Kimmage Road Lower between Sundrive Road and Harold's Cross.

Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA said: "We are determined to deepen our engagement with the communities along each of the identified corridors.

"That is why in addition to the meeting with potentially affected property owners we will also be organising public information events and community forums along each of the six corridors announced today."

The public consultation will last until 29 March while the next phase involving Ballymun, Bray, UCD and Ringsend into the city centre, as well as Finglas to Phibsborough and Blackrock to Merrion, will begin in the middle of February.

The Core Bus Corridor project involves improvements to a total of 16 routes, which the NTA says are necessary because of increasing population and traffic congestion.