Cllrs wait on bus stops, two still don’t come

TWO councillors sought to get additional bus stops for Naas will still have to wait until a long-expected report on the entirety of the county’s 500 bus stops is finally published.

Cllrs Bill Clear and Anne Breen made their separate supplications at the October meeting of Naas Municipal District held last week.

“Could the council write to the National Transport Authority (NTA) or the relevant public transport providers to request the installation of a new bus stop in the vicinity of Esmondale?” asked cllr Clear.

“At present, there is no designated bus stop between Naas town centre and Pipers Hill, despite the presence of multiple residential estates along this stretch, including Esmondale, Killashee View, and Broadfield View."

Cllr Breen asked: “if the ccuncil works with the NTA and service providers for the installation of a new bus stop on the Blessington Road to facilitate passengers from the many houses and housing estates in this area using Bus Route 183 – the Arklow to Sallins”.

Both councillors’ questions were fielded by Donal Hodgins, Senior Engineer, Sustainable Transport and Traffic Management, however the replies to each varied not a whit.

“There are over 500 existing bus stop locations in County Kildare and Kildare County Council is working with the NTA to review and prioritise improvements to bus stop infrastructure,” he said.

“When this review is complete a list of potential bus shelter and other improvements for locations will be prepared and appropriate public consultation undertaken,” he concluded.

Despite a request for a clarification on when this report might land, no formal statement has been made as of yet.