Responding to a call from the National Bus and Rail Union for BusConnects and Metrolink to be shelved, the Green Party say that public transport projects need to be prioritised post Covid-19.Green Party Transport Spokesperson Joe O’Brien TD said:“We need to hold steady on plans for investment in public transport infrastructure. The economy will recover and our transport systems need to be ready for it.“There are also opportunities to embed increased walking and cycling by improving supporting infrastructure.“We fully support the progression of BusConnects and Metrolink. There has already been substantial investment in both of these projects and it does not make sense to be going back to the drawing board on these.“Metrolink will connect the city to the airport and will serve many areas on the north side of the city and county that are badly in need of this kind of connectivity.”Ciarán Cuffe, MEP for Dublin, said:“BusConnects is a project that will hugely benefit Dublin commuters as we move into a post Covid-19 recovery phase. The consultation and planning that has gone into the project so far is enormous and it makes no sense to abandon this work at this point. Fully implemented, BusConnects will provide the frequent travel bus system that Dublin so badly needs already and will need even more in a post Covid-19 world.“Improvements in public transport can bring environmental and social benefits. Now is the time to manage our road space to prioritise transport that meets our climate goals and provides safe and reliable travel options for Dubliners."While the NBRU’s proposals that cities allocate more space for walking and cycling and accelerate trials of hydrogen and electric buses and trains are welcome, but the suggestion from Dermot O’Leary to drop the BusConnects and Metro project is quite frankly bizarre."ENDS