Over 100,000 bus users in the Dublin area are expected to have their journey times cut by up to 40 per cent following the introduction of a further five Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) over the next eight weeks.
When the four QBCs already in operation are taken into account, a total of 230,000 bus passengers - or 40 per cent of the number carried by Dublin Bus every day - will benefit from the QBCs programme, according to Mr Conor McCarthy, chairman of the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO).
Speaking at a press conference yesterday after the inauguration of a new QBC linking north Clondalkin with the city centre, he said extra buses and the new priority measures would reduce waiting times at bus stops to just three minutes during peak periods.
To underline the importance attached to the occasion, three Ministers were present - the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke; the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, and the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
The press conference was also attended by senior Garda officers, including Assistant Commissioner Jim McHugh, to whom Mr McCarthy paid tribute, saying that without the substantial resources being invested in enforcement the QBCs would be "useless".
Apart from north Clondalkin, QBCs are to be introduced on routes serving Rathfarnham on March 21st, Tallaght (March 28th), Whitehall (April 9th) and Blanchardstown (April 25th). The Whitehall QBC is also to be extended to Swords.
The DTO, which is overseeing the QBC programme, said bus passenger numbers had increased by 44 per cent on the Malahide route and by a massive 196 per cent on the Stillorgan QBC. Up to two-thirds of new passengers were previously car commuters.
By the end of this year, with the installation of two more QBCs serving Ballymun and south Clondalkin, Dublin would have a larger network of structured bus-priority measures than any other European capital, according to the Minister for Public Enterprise.
Having been "knocked about for years over lack of progress", Ms O'Rourke said the new QBCs represented "an important milestone on the journey to create a better public transport system for the city".
The Lord Mayor, Alderman Maurice Ahern, said it was "another great day for Dublin". However, he conceded the QBC programme had been delayed by the need for talks with residents and businesses.
