The National Transport Authority (NTA) has unveiled details of phase one of the BusConnects corridors project for Dublin.

Routes in this phase include Clongriffin to the city centre; Swords to the city centre; Blanchardstown to the city centre; and Lucan to the city centre.

A public consultation has been opened on these four corridors.

However, gardens of around 1,300 Dublin houses could be reduced to allow for the bus and cycle lanes.

Homeowners along 16 routes into the city centre would get an average payment of €25,000 from the NTA through compulsory purchase orders.

An example of a BusConnects interchange station | Image: NTA

Between one and four metres could be taken off front gardens to put in bus lanes under the programme.

The NTA says all of the property owners potentially affected by phase one have been notified by post.

While a one-to-meeting is being offered with each of them.

Community information sessions will also be held along the four routes in early January 2019, with the consultation period being extended to February 15th 2019.

Announced in June as part of the BusConnects programme, the project will see the provision of 230kms of bus lanes and 200km of cycle lanes on 16 of the busiest bus corridors in Dublin.

Source: NTA

Currently on the busiest bus routes, bus lanes are only in place for one-third of the corridors.

This means that for most of the journey, buses are competing for space with general traffic and are affected by increasing levels of congestion.

On the four corridors unveiled, annual passenger growth in Dublin Bus services has increased by up to 14% in the period 2015 to 2017.

The NTA says: "We need to respond to the congestion issue and create journey time savings for both existing and new bus users.

"Given the scale and extent of the Core Bus Corridors project, the NTA is undertaking the public consultation on the corridor proposals on a phased basis."

Radial core bus corridors emerging preferred routes | Image: NTA

Phase two will get underway in mid-January and will run until the end of March - featuring six corridors.

These will include routes from Liffey Valley to the city centre, Tallaght to Terenure and Rathfarnham to the city centre.

While phase three will get underway in mid-February and run until the end of April, featuring the final six corridors.

Routes here will include Ballymun, Bray and UCD Ballsbridge to the city centre.

CEO of the NTA is Anne Graham: "With the city set to grow by 25% by 2040, the level of congestion will increase, and people's quality of life will be eroded unless we take the appropriate actions now.

"The long-term viability of the city, its environment and all the surrounding communities and counties will suffer.

"Unless we transform our transport infrastructure, travelling by bus will become slower, less reliable and more frustrating for the increasing numbers wishing to use sustainable transport in and out of the city."

The projected population of Dublin into 2040 | Source: NTA

"Moreover, cycling across the city will also become more hazardous for the increasing number of cyclists in the city.

"People want to cycle, and they also want the cycling option for children to be able to cycle safely in their local areas and communities."

Details on the public consultation process can be found here.