Kerry County Council has been criticised for continued delays to the construction a town’s bus stop which a local has said is of serious importance to road safety.
Writing to the council, a resident of Ballybunion said the lack of a proper bus stop meant buses were parking ‘wherever they want’, branding it ‘absolutely scandalous’.
Construction of the town’s first bus stop was hoped to have started in May but still there are no works underway on the ground.
The location identified is at the top of Kit Ahern Road, adjacent to the bus stop at The Scallops.
A concerned local warned that as works were delayed, buses continued to double park due to there being no official locations for buses to stop.
They said the issue was creating ‘serious’ congestion and forcing cars onto the other side of the road, as well as causing school children to run between vehicles to catch buses.
“Just yesterday the double decker did a U-turn in the middle of the street just outside the Garda station and made numerous cars have to reverse,” they said.
“The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, and residents fear it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident.”
“The absence of a proper bus stop also means there is no shelter available. As you will appreciate, the Irish weather is highly unpredictable, and it is unreasonable to expect regular bus users to stand in unsafe and unsheltered spots in all conditions.”
Councillor Aoife Kennelly said she is unaware of why the project is being held up but insists she is keeping the pressure on Kerry County Council.
“I’ve had it in as a motion every meeting that we’ve had and I’ve been looking for an update on when it’s starting and pushing for it to be on time,” she said.
“I have got so many calls about that bus stop and the bus shelter and the fears that people have around it and the safety issues that it poses, so I completely understand where people are coming from.
“It’s out of my control when it happens and all I can do really is keep the pressure on…hopefully now we’ll see construction starting, I would imagine, in September.”
Kerry County Council said they expect to appoint a contractor shortly to carry out this work.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme