Shock at Bray Town Councils refusal to invite Dublin Bus to Council to discuss proposed cuts to the 45

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has expressed astonishment and
disbelief at the Bray Town Councils refusal to invite representatives
from Dublin Bus to a council meeting to discuss the proposed cuts to
the 45 bus route.

Councillor Brady said "At Tuesday nights council meeting i asked if
Dublin Bus had been invited to a council meeting to discuss the plans
to curtail the 45 bus route as it was agreed at February's council
meeting, i stated that i was concerned because it was not carried in
the minutes and asked that the situation be clarified. I was however
left gob-smacked by the response i received from the chairperson of
the council Ronan McManus who stated a letter had not been sent, nor
would one be sent to invite anyone to the council from Dublin Bus"

Cllr Brady continued "A lot of pressure has been put on Dublin Bus
because of their plans to curtail the 84 and 45 routes, a number of
public meetings have been held and a large public protest was held to
outside a Greystones Town Council meeting where Dublin Bus were giving
a presentation on the cuts. This pressure has paid off and it has
resulted in forcing Dublin Bus to hold a consultation process to see
what the public what and to hopefully create a public transport
service that truly serves the people of North Wicklow. I felt that as
a council which has been given a mandate by the people of Bray to
represent them it would only be right for the council to partake in
the consultation process and invite Dublin Bus representatives to a
full council meeting to put forward the concerns of the public we
represent"

"Inviting groups or organisations such as Dublin Bus to council
meetings is normal practise and it certainly would not have been the
first time it would have happened, in fact the last time Dublin Bus
attended a council meeting in Bray it resulted in the saving of the
185 bus route. I am astonished at the refusal by Cllr. McManus to
invite Dublin Bus to a council meeting, is he not aware of how many
people rely on the 45 route to get from Oldcourt to schools, hospitals
etc. Not every one has the luxury of driving a big fancy expensive car
like him. There are a lot of people who simply cant afford to put
petrol in their car let alone pay for tax or insurance. Ordinary
people depend on routes like the 45 and for a council to refuse to try
defend them is sad to say the least, is it any wonder people question
the relevance of Town councils" Brady continued.

Cllr Brady concluded "If Dublin Bus go ahead and and curtail the 45
Bus route Bray Town council and in-particular Cllr. Ronan McManus will
have a lot of questions to answer. Being the chairperson of a council
is more than a ribbon cutting position, its about standing up for your
town and ensuring that important issues such as this are addressed by
the council and that the mandate given by the people is used to
represent them. We all know that the proposed cuts the 45 and 84 are a
direct result of the cuts to the subsidy given to Dublin Bus by the
Government, however trying to protect the government by not even
inviting Dublin Bus to a council meeting is very sad and even sadder
for the public who use public transport. The council should be doing
everything in its power to protect and encourage the use of public
transport, however this sends out all the wrong messages"