Mayo town residents demand removal of new bus stop from dangerous street corner

The installation of bus stops on one of the 'most dangerous' street corners in Mayo has been described as ludicrous with calls by local people to have them removed immediately.

Two bus stops were erected on either side of the bottom of George's Street in Newport this morning to the dismay of local people who recently campaigned to improve the safety of the narrow street. George's Street which links the centre of the town and the N59 Mulranny road is considered a hazard by many residents due to its narrow footpaths and the sharp corner at the bottom.

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Cormac Kelly, Chairman of the Newport Business Association told The Mayo News that local people cannot understand why the bus stop has been located as such a dangerous location and want it removed immediately.

“Everyone here thinks April Fools is still going on. Everyone can see that it is the wrong place for a bus stop but the guys putting it up this morning said that was the location they were told to put them.

“It has to be a mistake by somebody. If we don't do anything now it will be there for months which will be a disaster. We want someone to come down and look at it and say it is wrong and remove them.

“Anyone with a pair of eyes can see it is a mistake and I don't know why the location was chosen. They are on a double yellow line on a bad corner on a main road... that makes no sense. It is a very narrow footpath and if the bus pulls up there it will hold the whole town up especially in the summer,” he said.

The current bus stop is located in the centre of the town on Main Street and while this location was 'not ideal', it was considered a much better location than George's Street.

Local councillor Brendan Mulroy explained he has contacted both Bus Éireann and Mayo County Council and demanded the bus stops are removed immediately.

“I don't know why they were put there but I have asked the council to take them away straight away. From initial conversations with the council there was no consultations with them at all and they are trying to figure out what went on. It is a ludicrous situation and hopefully the matter will be rectified straight away.

“The campaign by the residents and local representatives to make George's Street safer was very successful because the street is a lot safer so to put two bus stops on it is madness. There was obviously no consultation there with anyone,” he said.