West Waterford representatives to meet with council in bid to save bus stops

West Waterford public representatives have organised a meeting with the council's roads department to discuss the loss of the bus stops at Grange and Piltown.

Sinn Féin councillor Kate O’Mahoney wrote in a post on social media that she and TD Conor McGuinness will meet the council on Friday to find out if the stops can be saved.

She said there has been a lot of shock and anger locally at the decision to remove the bus stops.

And while the decision was linked to safety concerns, rural areas are being left behind.

“I have heard from many constituents that these bus stops are in fact a lifeline for people using the bus stops to access medical appointments at hospitals in Waterford and Cork.

“A lot of students use them to travel to and from college in both cities and also people who are travelling to and from work,” said Cllr O’Mahoney.

Cllr O’Mahoney said that Deputy McGuinness has sought a meeting with Bus Éireann and TII.

At this month’s sitting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District Council, Director of Roads Gabriel Hynes told elected members that they had written to Bus Eireann asking them to cease using the stops at Piltown and Grange from the end of the month.

This was the result of a safety review carried out by TII, which found the stops to be dangerous, particularly for pedestrians.

The director also said upgrades to the N25 might have addressed the safety concerns, but as no funding has been made available, works will not be carried out any time soon.

In her post, Cllr O’Mahoney said she and Deputy McGuinness would like to discuss with the council what safety works can be done.

Following the council meeting, the Waterford News and Star reached out twice to Bus Éireann to ask if they were moving the bus stops.

No response has yet been received.

“If we want to get serious about sustainability and public transport, decisions such as this are going backwards rather than forwards,” said Cllr O’Mahoney.