‘People are being left out in the wet’ as call made for better Leitrim bus stops

Certain bus stops in the county that are heavily used are lacking proper infrastructure compared to others that have been described as “underutilised,” a meeting of Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District has heard.

At the September meeting, Cllr Paddy Farrell asked that Leitrim County Council undertake an assessment of new bus stopping arrangements between Carrick-on-Shannon and Drumshanbo along the R280 and develop safe, accessible bus stop infrastructure, giving Cartown Port and Drumgorman as examples.

“The bus infrastructure should be properly designed with a bus pull-in lane allowing buses to stop safely off the main carriageway and disembark safely,” said Cllr Farrell.

“There is sufficient population within these catchment areas for a bus stop and I have been made aware of persons that cannot drive with additional medical needs at this location,” his motion stated.

The motion was seconded by Cllr Cormac Flynn, who noted that he had submitted a similar motion in relation to audits on bus stops.

“Some bus stops which are heavily used such as the ones referred to in the motion don’t seem to have proper signage whereas some - what I perceive to be underutilised bus stops - have fine stands,” said Cllr Flynn.

“We need to look at it in a broader picture to make sure the most used bus stops get the attention that they deserve because people are being left out in the wet,” he added.

Cllr Irene Guckian-Rabbitte also seconded the motion, saying, “proper bus stops should be built in locations like that for the safety of everyone involved.”

A response from the Roads department confirmed that the Active Travel section, in collaboration with Local Link, will investigate demand along the R280 between Carrick-on-Shannon and Leitrim Village, with a view to improving existing infrastructure as required.