A new Dublin Bus route has been put on hold because the vehicle cannot fit through a historic gate at Phoenix Park.
The route was part of the same plans that brought in a 30km/h speed limit and road layouts in the area.
The first bus service to travel through Phoenix Park has been put on hold due to the space between Cabra gate on the park's north side.
The gate in question is “too narrow for a standard single or double-decker bus”, according to the National Transport Authority.
"For that reason, NTA and OPW are looking at options with a view to bringing forward proposals in the coming months,” a spokesperson for the NTA said.
"The implementation of any pilot programme will be contingent on a number of factors including the availability of funding."
But the AA's Conor Faughnan said that it was “a little embarrassing" that an error like this could be made.
“It's a bit embarrassing for the OPW, which had sponsored this, and for the National Transport Authority," he told Newstalk.
"The Phoenix Park arrangement was supposed to be a joined up plan, calming the traffic in the park and including alternative to car use for accessing the park.”
Faughnan said that during the pandemic, they found out that Dubliners loved Phoenix Park, and that they “descended on it from all points of the compass” and by different modes of transport.
This made it necessary, according to Faughnan, to rethink the park and look for ways it could be improved.
However, the fact that no one considered whether or not the bus would fit through is “embarrassing”.
He said: “The gate is too narrow for a bus to fit through - this occurred to nobody as they were designing the bus route.
"And we're now told that they will attempt to figure out a solution in the months ahead.
"It really doesn't inspire great confidence that the thinking was joined up."
Despite this, Faughnan said that the protected structure cannot be interfered with.
"They'll have to find a solution, and the solution clearly cannot include destroying the protected structure that is the Cabra Gate,” he said.
"So whether they need a minibus, or a skinny bus, I'm sure they can figure it out - at least one would hope so.
"It just makes you worry that schemes like this aren't truly thought through.
In relation to the 30km/h speed limit, Faughnan said that it has been “proven false” in other cities that writing the new limit “on a pole and do nothing else” will ease a traffic problem.
"There are other 30km/h zones in Dublin and in other cities - and unfortunately they're tending to be characterised by local authorities and planners simply not thinking them through.
"So if we are going to do projects like these, they do have to be properly thought through - even at a basic level - before they're implemented.”
