Cork won’t grow without proper transport infrastructure like a Luas, according to its Lord Mayor.
Plans for a light-rail system in Cork had been discussed as part of an All-Island rail review which was launched last summer.
The planned line would run from Ballincollig to Mahon if it gets the green light.
Projections by the National Transport Authority (NTA) have suggested a Cork light rail system could carry 46 million passengers a year.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is currently undertaking the “detailed alignment study” for the Luas, with a public consultation expected to open by the end of the year.
Cork Lord Mayor Dan Boyle told The Hard Shoulder if all the “ducks are in a row”, there could be a Luas in the city in the next decade.
“It's not so much whether it's going to happen, it's when it's going to happen and how we can bring that about,” he said.
“We certainly talked about having active travel and public transport measures a lot more than we've put into practice.
“But in the last five years, we have seen an increase in the number of bus lanes, we have seen an increase in cycle lanes, we have seen greater pedestrianisation.”
He noted the new planning bill should remove a lot of the “obstacles” that previously existed when building new infrastructure.
“The planning has been done in terms of the Cork Metropolitan Area Study and it's a combination now of making those resources available and getting the shovels and the diggers in the grounds, putting the infrastructure in place and then having services operational,” he said.
According to the 2022 Census, 65% of people in Cork commute to work by car, while 4.2% use the bus and 1.5% cycle.
Cork transport
Cllr Boyle said Cork needs to have “democratic use of our road space”, open for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and those using public transport.
He noted the projected population of 330,000 people in Cork by 2050 will only happen with improved transport infrastructure.
“Cork won't grow and can't grow unless it gets the public transport infrastructure,” he said.
“You can only do that with infrastructure, and you have to have as broad and diverse a range of infrastructure and transport options available where you can build the new housing and where people can connect to for their services.”
Business representative group Cork Chamber has called for a Luas in Cork, urging the Government to make infrastructure a priority in the upcoming budget.
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