Laois bus shelter delivery times questioned

The installation time and high specification of bus shelters in Portlaoise was questioned by elected members of Laois County Council. 

The issue arose when Fianna Fail Cllr, Padraig Fleming, requested bus shelters for Ballylinan Village in a motion at a recent meeting. 

He asked “that Laois County Council develop a plan for Bus /Shelters for Ballylinan Village in view of the  number of buses that go through / from the Village on a daily basis for local and national routes  and in particular to protect the people who use these buses especially at times of inclement weather.”

A response read by Senior Engineer, Paul McLoughlin, was read out at the meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District. 

“Laois County Council has included Ballylinan as a potential location for the provision of Bus Shelters. The location will be assessed and where deemed suitable followed by an application to the NTA. The NTA(National Transport Authority) are the body responsible for the provision of funding for bus shelters. The provision of shelters will be coordinated throughout the county and the timeline will be dependent on NTA approvals and the level of funding provided,” he wrote.    

“It has been a big issue in Ballylinan for a while. It was raised before and the council, in fairness, looked at it a year or two ago. They found a space where they could only put one bus shelter up near the crescent,” said Cllr Fleming. 

He explained that a large number of buses travel through the village between those on national routes and the rural link buses. He said there were also over 100 pupils travelling to school in Athy by bus daily. 

“In some cases they are standing out in the rain and the wet with no protection for them,” he remarked. 

Given the numbers using buses in Ballylinan, Cllr Fleming said he would be looking for a second shelter for the village. 

He said that while the response from the council was positive, he acknowledged that the involvement of the National Transport Authority(NTA) meant the delivery of bus stops would take longer. 

“It is a very slow process with the NTA,” said Cllr Fleming. He noted there was no mention of timelines and asked that the NTA “up their game” in relation to the matter. 

“I think the timelines are going to be a few years,” said Cllr Fleming. 

Fianna Fail Cllr, Paschal McEvoy, said bus shelters were badly needed in Ballylinan.  He claimed the specifications of new bus shelters was “immense” and he referred to the construction of a shelter in Kilminchy, Portlaoise.

“I think it should be a lot more simple,” he told the meeting. 

 "A bus shelter should do what it says on the tin. It should keep people dry when it’s wet," Cllr McEvoy said. 

“The spec on that one in Kilminchy is absolutely… I don’t know,” he remarked. 

“I would love to know the cost of that because I would imagine the cost of one of those bus shelters 

“In my opinion it is so, so expensive what is going into those. They are a fabulous job. Is it needed? Not in a million years. I think if you done an ordinary, simple, straightforward bus shelter," he added.  

Fine Gael Cllr PJ Kelly agreed that a bus shelter was badly needed in Ballylinan, particularly in light of the increasing population.

“There was one installed in Ballybrittas in my own village. One week, it was put up,” he said. 

“The one in Kilminchy is going on for months now. You’re right, it is the cost of maybe five bus shelters gone into one,” he said. 

“The one in Ballybrittas was perfectly simple, straightforward, up it went, no delay,” he said.  

 Independent Cllr Aisling Moran agreed that a simple shelter was all that was needed. 

“It doesn’t have to cost thousands and thousands,” she said.

Cllr Moran said they just needed to be safe and to keep the rain off. She said residents shouldn’t have to wait years for the shelters.