Bus stop proposed for outside Mayo homeless shelter

A bus stop may be erected outside of a Mayo homeless shelter after local people raised concerns that residents walking along the road were becoming a traffic hazard.

Tom Gilligan, the Director of Services with Mayo County Council told the monthly meeting of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District that he has been in correspondence with Bus Éireann in the hope of adding a stop outside Charlestown Lodge homeless shelter.

The building which is a former nursing home located on the Swinford Road outside Charlestown is an emergency homeless shelter for the county which can cater for over 100 people.

Local councillors raised the concerns of residents living close to Charlestown Lodge of the dangers associated with residents of the building walking along the main road.

READ: “These fires are putting entire villages at risk” - Mayo farmers

Fianna Fáil councillor Adrian Forkan told the meeting that a former member of An Garda Siochána has contacted him every week for the last month on the issue and that it needs addressing.

“There are people walking on the side of the road into Charletown at all hours and there is somebody going to be killed along that road and it is not maybe. I drive along the road myself on my way to work every morning and during the winter you cannot see people along the road. Are we waiting for someone to be killed before we do something about it.

“Another thing is the amount of rubbish which people are discarding along that road and it is not fair on the people who live along that road. I don't know what can be done about it but something will have to be done,” he said.

Charlestown-based councillor Gerry Murray agreed, saying that there was an incident a few weeks ago when people were walking in the middle of the road in the pouring rain.

“I got two or three phone calls about it. I think they were under the weather and I reported it to the manager of the place and they were subsequently given the red card. It is an issue and a problem. There is a road safety issue and there has been a lot of representations coming through on it in terms of the road traffic issue.

“I have spoken to the manager who said they have yellow jackets and hi-vis but on that evening they were not wearing hi-vis or yellow jackets. It is an issue and the guards have spoken to me about it,” said the Sinn Féin councillor.

The property is located approximately 2km from Charlestown and Mr Gilligan said he has been liaising with Bus Éireann to get the area registered as a designated stop.

“I got an email yesterday to say they are prepping the documents at the moment to issue for its approval. I am hopeful that it will be this week or the next week that we will get confirmation that Bus Éireann will stop there. It will be a positive because I am aware of issues. Some residents have their own transport but others don't,” he told the meeting.