Bus shelters finally coming to Laois towns but more needed

Laois communities have been waiting for bus shelters for years, and finally five of them are coming together.

Three towns will receive shelters for residents waiting for buses, all promised to be ready for installation by the end of June 2023.

Two of the shelters will be in Mountrath, two more in Portlaoise and one in Ballybrittas, with ground preparation works costing a total of €70,000.

The money was allocated over a year ago and Laois County Council has said the delay to build them is "a cause for concern".

The National Transport Authority had halted progress on the shelters last year after they were found not to be fully wheelchair accessible. The stops needed higher kerbs to help people using wheelchairs access bus ramps from them.

Another five are promised to follow for other towns, but it might be another long wait to get funding.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly had sought the update, in a motion tabled to the January meeting of Laois County Council.

“In the bad weather in January, in Castletown I was seeing people standing out in the rain and wind, it was terrible. We are calling on people to use public transport but it’s hard to use it in winter when there is no shelter. 

“In Portlaoise one was installed that was only a sun canopy, with no back or sides. We need proper shelters with sides, a back and a roof. There is a need to have this speeded up as soon as possible,” he said. 

Local councillors pleaded for Castletown and Rathdowney to be in the next wave.

Cllr James Kelly said so many people wait in Mountrath that a bus shelter couldn’t even fit them.

“I’ve been beating the drum for Mountrath and Castletown for five or six years. I believe work was to start last year but it hasn’t started. In Mountrath there could be 15 people waiting on any one day, they wouldn’t even fit in a bus shelter. The Government wants us to use public transport but it’s important to protect people from the elements,” he said.

Cllr John King said “I hope if Rathdowney is not in the first five, it will be in the second”.

It is late 2021 since Laois County Council was allocated €70,000 by the National Transport Authority for bus shelter enabling works at five locations.

The council says the works at all five will be complete by the end of June, ready for bus shelter installation.

Laois County Council Director of Services for roads is Simon Walton.

“We are seeking to pursue this with the NTA. We haven’t had a chance to spend the €70,000 yet and that is a cause for concern for us. We will seek to do it in the first half of the year. If any issue arises we will go on to the next bus stop with the aim to have the first five by the middle of the year.

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“On James Fintan Lalor Avenue, the bus stop was replaced like for like. You make a key point that there are no end panels, so depending on what way the wind blows, it’s not fit for purpose is the point you are making. That is a matter for the NTA and their contractor. There are options to choose from and I’ll take that up with them. 

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Laois County Council stated that bus shelters are provided under a contract between the National Transport Authority and a bus shelter service provider.

"Laois County Council is committed to upgrading bus stops such that they meet all accessibility criteria and can accommodate a bus shelter. Separately, in line with the draw down of available funds, a new application to the NTA for a further 5 bus stops will be made,2 the local authority said.