Welcome

This is the homepage for the N11/M11 Bus Priority Scheme. 

Scheme Overview:

Wicklow County Council (WCC) is progressing the development of the N11/M11 Bus Priority Scheme (N11/M11 BPS) in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport. Kildare National Roads Office have been appointed to project manage the delivery of the scheme.

The N11/M11 BPS Project commenced in 2020, with the primary objective of developing a proposal for the provision of bus priority measures in both directions on the N11/M11 National Road. Priority facilities can be used by buses and coaches to avoid congested traffic lanes during peak traffic periods and help to reduce the current unsustainable dependency on the private car. The scheme aims to increase the people-carrying capacity of the N11/M11 and the attractiveness of public transport services along the route.

The N11/M11 national road is the primary artery connecting Dublin to the southeast of the country and is comprised partly of motorway, dual carriageway and single carriageway sections over a distance of approximately 126km, from its commencement in Stillorgan, Co Dublin to its termination close to Wexford town. From its connection to the M50 Motorway, the N11/M11 route forms part of Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) route E01, linking the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) to Rosslare Europort. Given the location of the N11/M11 BPS within the GDA, the subject section of the corridor supports high volumes of traffic engaging in local activities such as commuting, retail and amenity, as well as supporting more strategic roles in parallel, such as freight distribution, inter-urban trade and access to key ports and airports. Moreover, to satisfy modern mobility needs against an urban backdrop, the N11/M11 corridor must support accessibility across a variety of transport modes, including public transport. 

The extent of the N11/M11 BPS covers the section of existing N11/M11 route extending from Loughlinstown Roundabout in the north to Junction 8 (Kilmacanogue) in the south. This represents a scheme length of approximately 8.7km. This section of the corridor traverses two local authority boundaries. The northern extent of the scheme lies within the jurisdiction of Dún LaoghaireRathdown County Council (DLRCC) while the southern extent lies within the jurisdiction of Wicklow County Council (WCC). The scheme covers sections of the existing route both designated as Motorway and Type 1 Dual Carriageway. It is within this 8.7km length of the existing route that the option selection process has examined the viability, type, and optimal extent of bus priority to be provided.

The development of bus priority on the N11/M11 corridor is firmly aligned with transport development policies across all levels, as follows:

  • As part of Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 identifies the protection and renewal of the national road network as a key sectoral priority. This includes the provision for greater use of sections of the national road network by public transport (e.g. bus lanes) to improve overall efficiency and capacity.
  • The N11/M11 is identified as a regional corridor forming part of the Core Bus Network within the National Transport Authority’s Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA Strategy) 2022 – 2042.
  • The Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 promotes the upgrading of the N11/M11 to ensure, “the prioritisation of public transport services along the M11/N11 from Kilmacanogue to Loughlinstown by the provision of dedicated bus lanes”
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