Mayo council official warns erecting bus stops in towns is not a simple thing to do

A SENIOR official with Mayo County Council warned that finding locations for bus stops is problematic due to objections from people who do not want it near their home or business.

The location of bus stop signs and bus shelters and the lack there of in certain parts of Mayo was raised by members of the Roads and Sustainable Travel Strategic Policy Committee meeting last week.

Killala-based councillor Jarlath Munnelly told the meeting that although the bus stops in Killala, there is no bus stop sign in the north Mayo town and people have to 'use their intuition' to know where to stand to get the bus.

READ: Thousands of pensioners in Mayo to benefit from new public transport card

Sarah Togher of Local Link also told the meeting that there was an absence of bus stops in some rural villages and their absence was not helpful for visitors who want to use the bus to travel the county.

Conrad Harley, the Acting Head of Roads with Mayo County Council told the meeting that the National Transport Authority is responsible for funding bus stops in the county. A recent audit revealed there are 'small issues at the majority of bus stops and bigger issues at a much smaller number and very large issues at a very small number of bus stops' and he was due to meet the NTA to discuss matters.

However, he added that finding a location for bus stops and shelters is not a single thing to do.

“Bringing in a bus stop is not a simple thing to do. There is a lot of 'not on my back door' thinking when you go to do it. It is far from simple to say we need a bus stop in Killala for example because if you say put it there I can guarantee you the people living there will say I don't want it. Then you put it here you will have someone else saying if he doesn't want it there I don't want it here. It is quite difficult to get the location tied down,” he said.

Cllr Munnelly said that despite the numbers of people using buses increasing it was not satisfactory that there were no bus stops in Killala or Ballycastle and called for the matter to be addressed.

“There is no bus stop in Killala and no bus stop in Ballycastle and you have to use your intuition as to where the bus has to stop. Due to the change in the road system it [bus stop] changed in Killala. I was contacted by Bus Éireann to see what they should do because the bus could not stop where it used to stop.

The buses are stopping but there is no stop sign…we cannot allow a situation to continue where there is no sign,” he said.

Cllr Munnelly also proposed that representatives of the NTA come into their next SPC meeting to address the issues of bus stops in the county.

Director of Services, Tom Gilligan added that the county needs more bus shelters and more people to take up public transport.