Bus shelters for town routes to be advanced this year

The September meeting of Athlone Moate municipal district was told that the long-awaited provision of bus shelters along the town bus routes in Athlone is to be progressed by the end of this year.

The welcome news was conveyed to the meeting by Director of Services, Barry Kehoe, after the issue was raised by way of a motion from Fianna Fail Cllr Frankie Keena, who requested the municipal district to engage with the relevant stakeholders to provide the shelters.

Cllr Keena described the absence of bus shelters along the AI and A2 routes as being “a major issue for all ages” and said he had regularly observed “elderly people, students and parents with children” waiting at various bus stops around Athlone in inclement weather and added that it was “just not good enough.”

He cited the recent work carried out by Roscommon County Council, in conjunction with the National Transport Authority (NTA), in erecting “lovely bus shelters” in the Monksland area, and added that, while he understood there would be “certain constraints with narrow verges” at certain bus stops in Athlone, this should not stop the council from “moving ahead.”

Cllr Keena received strong support from his party colleague, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, who said it “didn’t make sense” to have bus stops in Athlone and no bus shelters, while Independent Cllr Paul Hogan said it was “completely unacceptable” to see elderly people waiting at bus stops in the town “with the rain pouring down on top of them”.

Director of Services Barry Kehoe said there should be “no difficulty” in having bus shelters installed in Athlone in view of the fact that walking, cycling and public transport are all part of Government policy.

He said the Active Travel team is “actively pursuing” the bus shelters, and initial contact has been made with the NTA.

He added that the shelters “will be progressed” by the end of the year.

When pressed by Cllr Keena for more information on delivery timelines, Mr. Kehoe said he hoped to have further progress by “early next Spring.”

In its written response to Cllr Keena’s motion, the council stated that iInitial contact has already been made with the NTA with regard to the provision of bus shelters in the county. This will be progressed by the Active Travel team by the end of the year.”