Additional bus shelters need to be provided in Laois for the thousands of people who commute daily from the county, according to a local councillor.
A motion from Cllr Noel Tuohy at the monthly meeting of Laois County Council asked the local authority to: “explore the possibilities and opportunities for providing suitable bus shelters in partnership with the service providers and other relevant agencies for the benefit of the numerous passengers who rely on such transport services throughout the county”.
While bus shelters may not seem like a top priority, he said they are important to the thousands of people commuting on a daily basis in Laois.
Along with commuters, he added that students, parents with young children and senior citizens use buses across towns and villages in Laois.
“Last week I saw some senior citizens getting soaked in a downpour while waiting at bus stops on the Dublin Road – this need not happen if we made a bit of effort – and it can be even worse in the winter months,” Cllr Tuohy said.
“It may not be the primary responsibility of the council to provide bus shelters, but we do have a role to play in collaboration with the service providers, be they public or private.
“There are buses taking employees to work, students to college, parents with children and seniors to make hospital appointments; that is before you even mention the airport service and visitors to our county,” Cllr Tuohy said.
He said it was time for the council to be proactive and come up with innovative solutions for bus shelters.
Policy
A response from the council outlined that a new policy on bus shelters had been formulated at the Transport Special Policy Committee (SPC), on which there is to be further consultation before it comes before the September meeting of this committee.
Welcoming the moves by the Transport SPC, Cllr James Kelly said he had previously had a motion seeking additional bus shelters in areas including Mountrath and Borris-in-Ossory.
“We should be looking at erecting two new bus shelters each year,” he said.
“We were a long time looking for two on James Fintan Lalor Avenue,” Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said. “It took blood, sweat and tears”.
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