No shelter from the winter weather at new Laois bus stops
'Children going to school in wet clothes, it's not a great start is it?'
Laois is getting plenty of new bus stops this year, but they don't come with bus shelters.
Children will be going to school wet, complained one Laois councillor, adding "there's no point having a horse if you have no cart" while several other councillors asked in vain for shelters for the new stops coming to their areas.
Laois County Council gave an update at the September meeting, on the 2025 Bus Stop Enhancement Programme.
They have completed 10 of 26 stops so far, all in Portarlington town.
There are two more to be added in Portarlington in 2025 all serving the Port to Monasterevin bus route.
Another 14 are planned this year, in Castletown, Pike of Rushall, Borris in Ossory, Abbeyleix, Cullohill and Clonaslee.
However the council does not install shelters, and the National Transport Authority (NTA) won't be doing so any time soon.
Director of Services Simon Walton broke the bad news on bus shelters in answer to councillors' requests.
"There will be no bus shelters in Laois this year. The NTA provide the shelters and they are in the process of procuring a new shelter provider. It's totally a matter for them.
"We apply to them but it's the NTA ultimately instruct the contractor to come and install them. Notwitstanding the ongoing very positive work in respect of bus stops, there will be no bus shelters this year. That's for 2025 but there is a view to put it back on the agenda in 2026," the director said.
Cllr Clooney was not happy.
"That's very bad news. There's no point having a horse if you have no cart. You don't expect people to stand out in that weather, it just doesn't happen. You don't want children going to school in wet clothes, it's not a great start off is it? We're in 2025. They (shelters) should come with the bus stops," Cllr Clooney said.
Earlier he had asked "will these be bus shelters or just open range? With winter coming, something should be done".
Cllr John Joe Fennelly had noted that "the bus shelters they are putting in are not bus shelters, they're canopies". He said they did not give proper shelter on "wet and windy days, which we have four or five months of" and should at least have two sides.
Cllr John King had said "I wouldn't mind a little bus shelter in Rathdowney".
Next year, subject to funding, Laois County Council has a draft to-do list for more bus stop enhancements. This includes 27 stops in Mountmellick, Rosenallis, Ballinakill, Heywood, Spink, Crettyard, Newtown, Tolerton, Killeshin, Arles, Ballickmoyler, Ballyroan, Ballinakill and Ballacolla.