Two Mayo towns crying out for proper bus stops

SWINFORD and Kiltimagh need proper bus stops, where they can pull in to collect and drop passengers.

Both towns experience traffic being caught up behind buses which have to pull up on the street outside parked vehicles.

Councillor Adrian Forkan has called for the bus stops in Kiltimagh, Swinford, Bohola and Kilkelly to be looked at urgently for traffic management and safety reasons.

He made his comments during a discussion on bus shelters at a municipal district meeting, making the point that in the first two towns there is no actual stop for buses to pull into, resulting in the streets being blocked.

The bus stop in Kilkelly, on the N17, is in a 'terrible' location, he added.

In general, the overall position of bus stops needs to be looked at before looking at shelters, he suggested.

Councillor John Caulfield asked for an update on what is happening with the relocation of the stop in Kilkelly.

They were trying to encourage people to use public transport. At least in towns you might find some shelter, but in Kilkelly people were standing out in the rain along the road, many of them waiting to go to medical appointments in Galway.

And it wasn't just about shelter - the buses need to be moved off the road for health and safety reasons too.

Members were told the council's head of roads has been working with TII in relation to a new bus stop in Kilkelly and an update will be sought for them.