Waterford to host meeting involving ‘major stakeholder’ amid frustration over bus shelters
Cllr David Daniels enquired about the meeting at the May plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council
Waterford city is set to host a meeting involving a “major stakeholder” in public transport, amid frustration over the lack of delivery of new bus shelters.
Independent councillor David Daniels enquired about the meeting at the May plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.
Cllr Daniels asked when the council would be meeting with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to discuss various issues related to public transport in the city.
He described the NTA as a “major stakeholder” and he said that a few things that it is involved in are “not working”.
Cllr Daniels expressed frustration over the lack of delivery of new bus shelters and the delays to the Bus Connects Programme.
He concluded by saying that the council needs to find out “where investment stands for the city and county”.
In response to Cllr Daniels, Senior Engineer Gabriel Hynes said that the meeting will take place in June.
He added that whilst he did not have the date of the meeting in front of him, the meeting was “on hand”.
Meanwhile, independent councillor Declan Barry enquired about the status of new bus shelters.
Cllr Barry said: “Just following on from Cllr Daniels, I’m just wondering where we are with our groundwork for new bus stops, bus shelters and that.
“Having a plan in place, when are we thinking that they might be coming on stream all over the city and county?”
In response, Mr Hynes said that the council does have a plan in place for the delivery of various bus shelters.
“It's different across each of the districts but we have programmes in place for the city, for all the different areas, in relation to the bus enhancement programme and for bus shelters.
“Some of you will see these bus shelters in some of your areas. That will be on our agenda for the NTA as well but we have an achievable list now and across the network, particularly for the rural link, you will see the bus stops are being enhanced.”
He continued by saying that as well as improvements in rural areas, a similar scheme is being developed for the city.
Mr Hynes acknowledged that the installation of bus shelters can take time due to safety issues and other factors.
However, he concluded by reassuring councillors that the council is prioritising their delivery.