O'Rourke feels 'vindicated' over relocation of Athlone school bus pick-up point
Local councillor Aengus O'Rourke said the controversial decision to move the school bus collection point for three of the Athlone's secondary schools has now been clearly shown to have been the correct move.
In the autumn of 2023, Bus Éireann moved its collection point for buses carrying Athlone Community College, Our Lady's Bower and Marist College students. Buses had previously congregated on the Retreat Road, but for the last three years the car park at Athlone Town Stadium in Lissywollen has served as the new pick-up point.
When the change was mooted three years ago it was met with opposition from some parents, students and local councillors.
However, Cllr O'Rourke spoke publicly in favour of the change at the time, arguing that the use of the Athlone Town Stadium was "a very good solution" given that Bus Éireann had identified safety issues with the Retreat Road arrangement.
Reflecting on the change three years later, the Fianna Fáil councillor said in a statement this week that the current system has become an "established and accepted" part of daily school routine.
"The new arrangements, introduced in November 2023, saw school buses moved away from the heavily congested Retreat Road, with students instead walking along the greenway to a designated collection point at Athlone Town Stadium," said Cllr O'Rourke.
"At the time, the proposal was met with fierce resistance. Schools were opposed, student representatives were opposed, Junior Mayors were opposed, some councillors were opposed, and very many parents were strongly against it.
"There were dire predictions about what might happen to children walking along the greenway, some I would never repeat. I received a significant amount of personal criticism and abuse, online and to my face, for supporting the change," he said.
"I listened to all sides. I understood that parents were concerned about their children and that any change to established routines would naturally cause some anxiety. But having considered the arguments being made, I simply could not agree with many of the safety and risk predictions being put forward.
"I knew the greenway like the back of my hand. My children used it every day walking to and from school, and there had never been a problem," he added.
"Some of the commentary at the time went well beyond reasonable concern. The scaremongering was unwelcome, unnecessary and, in my view, deeply unhelpful.
"It created anxiety around a perfectly reasonable proposal that was designed to improve the overall safety and management of school transport in Athlone, which it has now undoubtedly done."
Cllr O'Rourke said Retreat Road was not suited to accommodating large numbers of school buses on a daily basis, and that the resulting traffic congestion, combined with the large number of students in the vicinity, had led to a "very unsafe" situation.
"The dire predictions made in 2023 simply haven't materialised, and what was once a hugely contentious proposal is now an established and very successful routine," he said.
"I suspect that even those who opposed the move most strongly at the time would now be hard-pressed to argue for a return to the old arrangements on Retreat Road. That, perhaps, is the clearest indication of just how far we've come.
"I don't say any of this to score points against those who opposed the move. People are entitled to their opinions, and parents in particular are entitled to question decisions affecting their children. But there is a difference between raising legitimate concerns and creating unnecessary fear.
"There is also a wider lesson here about decision-making and leadership in public life. Leadership is not always about supporting the popular decisions. Sometimes it is about supporting the right decision, explaining why, and having the confidence to stand over it," he stated.
"I am pleased I supported the change in 2023, and I am pleased that the arrangement has become an accepted part of school life in Athlone."