NTA find new location for bus stop in west Mayo town

The Nationa Transport Authority have erected new bus stops in the centre of Newport two weeks after they had been initially placed at the bottom of George's Street.

The two new standard National Transport Authority (NTA) yellow and green bus stop signs were erected on either side of Main Street in Newport on Tuesday. They replaced the old red Bus Éireann bus stops which had been on Main Street for a number of years.

The erection of the two new bus stop signs comes two weeks after they had initially been placed at the bottom of George's Street much to the dismay of the residents in the west Mayo town.

The bus stop signs were placed on double yellow lines at the bottom of the street which is regarded as one of the most hazardous in Mayo due to its narrow footpaths and the sharp corner at the bottom.

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After an outcry by local residents and local council representatives, the signs were removed two days later.

The decision by the NTA to erect the signs on George's Street was criticised by local councillor Brendan Mulroy who said they did not consult with the council before doing it.

“We need clarity because it is not good enough for people to come into a town... when they were erecting the signs they were told [by residents] not to put them on double yellow lines. Why did the NTA despite everything go ahead and erect these signs on double yellow lines?” he said at a recent meeting of Mayo County Council.

In a statement to The Mayo News, the NTA said the decision to erect the signs on George's Street was an error and the matter had been corrected.

“In March of this year, the National Transport Authority (NTA) received a request from Mayo County Council to upgrade the existing bus stops in Newport.

“The request was considered reasonable, and in line with our Service Level Agreement, the NTA moved forward with the necessary steps to facilitate the upgrades.

“During the course of this work, a third-party contractor mistakenly installed the new poles in the incorrect locations. This error was identified and has since been fully corrected,” the statement read.