Calls to reinstate bus-stops between these two Kildare villages

The Cathaoirleach of Clane Maynooth Municipal District has called on the council to restore a number of bus-stops between Allenwood and Derrinturn, Kildare which have been removed in recent years.

According to Cllr Brendan Wyse (FG), the 120 service bus stops were removed based on the assertion they were “dangerous”, when in fact, he argued, it was “more dangerous” for elderly people to walk a regional road to access the next available bus-stop.

In his motion – seconded by Cllr William Durkan (FG) and tabled at a recent meeting of Clane Maynooth Municipal District - Cllr Wyse further called for the cessation of removal of any more bus-stops “until consultation with the local community takes place.”

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Cllr Wyse said that while he acknowledged that between Allenwood and Derrinturn there is quite a high density of bus-stops, to him, he said, removing bus-stops appeared to be a “backwards step”.

A council official suggested it may be useful for the MD to write to TFI (Transport for Ireland), as it was not in fact the council which removed the bus-stops.

As an executive, the council was not aware why the bus-stops were taken out, and perhaps there was “very good reason.”

Cllr Wyse said he had previously engaged with the NTA on the issue, and engaged with the council's own team, but he had not engaged with TFI, so that he might do so in the future.

It was brought to Cllr Wyse's attention that the MD could pursue this course of action, to which he agreed.

A report issued by the council confirmed that Kildare County Council has “no direct role in the removal of bus stops”, which is a matter for public transport operator and the National Transport Authority (NTA) / Transport for Ireland (TFI).

Consultation with Kildare County Council and the local community is a matter for these parties to arrange, the report noted.

The report continued: “The R403 regional route carries a large volume of traffic. In order to approve any new or reinstatement of bus stops, Kildare County Council would need to be satisfied that the risk of a collision when a bus is stationary, either loading or unloading passengers, is low.

“In the absence of significant civil engineering works, and notwithstanding the previous citing of a bus stop, approval for some locations for the re-instatement of an in-line bus stop is not considered appropriate from a road safety point of view.

“Kildare County Council is fully supportive of the provision of appropriate bus stop infrastructure throughout the county and do so as long as there are no road safety implications at these locations.”