BUSES and coaches are to be allowed onto the hard shoulders of roads in a move to combat Dublin’s mounting traffic congestion.

Officials in the Department of Transport are also considering letting buses drive along Luas tram tracks in certain parts of the city.

Seamus Brennan, the transport minister, is keen to speed up journey times for buses on key national routes by allowing them use the hard shoulders of certain roads, usually reserved for vehicles involved in accidents or breakdowns.

The idea is not to allow buses unlimited access to the hard shoulders, but for set distances from the city centre, or for certain periods of time.

The change, which has the support of bus companies, will effectively create quality bus corridors (QBCs) on roads where they do not exist already, but will not involve taking away space from other traffic.

A spokesman for Brennan said that he is “strongly pushing” for the move as he believes that it will greatly improve bus travel times and make public transport more attractive for the growing number of commuters now living in satellite towns outside Dublin.

Last week, the problem for suburban bus commuters was highlighted when the rap star Eminem’s concert in Punchestown racecourse caused severe congestion in southwest Dublin. A large number of concertgoers travelled by bus, but endured long delays as the buses got caught up in the general snarl-up.

The transport spokesman said the move will be introduced after a pilot study.

The study is needed to ensure there are no safety risks involved in buses using the hard shoulders. This is not expected to be a problem as buses are allowed to use this facility in other countries.

Special lay-by areas will be added to the hard shoulders to allow buses to pull aside for emergency vehicles.

Bus Eireann, which runs provincial services, supports the plan. Dublin Bus said yesterday the change could lead to a huge increase in the number of people using buses.

There are currently nine QBCs in operation in Dublin, and passenger numbers have increased by 40% on these routes. On the Stillorgan dual-carriageway QBC — initially opposed by residents along the route — the number of passengers travelling by bus has increased by 230%.

Brennan also wants lanes currently being reserved for the Luas system to be opened up to buses. The transport minister sees this as a way of increasing the number of bus lanes in Dublin and believes it will mean better use of sections of road being developed for the light-rail project.

Certain parts of the Luas track are fenced in and will be used only by the trains, but in other areas the tracks are on a reserved lane in the road. Such dual use of tracked road is common in other countries, and Brennan has asked senior officials to draw up a plan to allow it to happen here.

It is understood that the transport minister is facing some opposition to this idea, however. The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), a state body, has argued that the Light Rail Order drawn up in 1999 determines that tracks dedicated to the Luas can be used only by it. This means a legislative change may be needed before the minister’s plan can go ahead.

Department of Transport officials are currently talking to the RPA in an attempt to clarify the issue and to get the agency to agree to the track-sharing idea.

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