Additional bus routes sought in Portlaoise

A LOCAL councillor has requested the new Portlaoise town bus operators provide a service along the Abbeyleix Road, the Dublin Road and to the graveyard along the Stradbally Road.

Proposing the motion at the April meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District Council cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said: “A lot of elderly people live along the Abbeyleix Road and there’s an increase in population along it and new houses going up. It has been said to me that the road is too narrow to provide bus stops along it, which I’d like to have clarified?

“I’ve also had a number of requests for the bus to stop at the graveyard. A lot of elderly people and people coming back down from the graveyard, who have cars parked down in the town, said it would be an ideal spot for a bus stop.” 

She said: “The most complaints that I’m getting is about the Dublin Road with major disappointment being expressed over the lack of bus stops along it. There’s nearly a mile in distance between the bus stop at the Old Parochial House at the church and the one beyond the hospital. People in the large Fieldbrook housing estate feel very let down by this. There’s two large prisons on the route, there’s Midoc and Saint Fintan’s Hospital where a lot of people go for appointments to clinics.” 

Cllr Fitzgerald said: “The route goes from the church, out the Borris Road and back along by Colliers Lane. People along the Dublin Road are forgotten about. It’s very unfair. This should never have happened. The way the routes were drawn up was wrong.” 

Seconding the motion cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said: “There’s also a blockage where one bus route goes up along Colliers Lane and children from the Mountmellick end of the town going to school over at Holy Family have to get off at the Colliers stop and pick up a second bus to get nearer the school.” 

She said: “I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t been happy with the service. It’s an absolute brilliant one. Everybody is looking for it on their road. I had people on the Ridge Road asking me when are they going to get a bus on their road. I doubt whether that’ll ever happen, because you’d find it hard getting a car on it, never mind a bus. People out as far as Bianconi Way are asking for their bus stop as well.

“I’d fully agree with cllr Fitzgerald, I’d love to see the whole bus service rolled out to take in the Abbeyleix Road and the Dublin Road and all the gaps that we are now seeing. “ 

Cllr Marie Tuohy also supported the motion. 

She said: “We’ve gone from nothing to complaints that we haven’t got enough, which I think is a positive result. I think it’s a fantastic service that’s joining the outskirts of the town to the centre. It’s literally almost lifechanging for some people.” 

Cllr Tommy Mulligan also supporting the motion said: “There’s talks of a proposed third route, which I hope involves the Abbeyleix Road, out as far as the Maldron Hotel to the Rugby Club and Togher Woods. It’s also vital to get some service up around the schools at Aghnaharna. I would also be vouching strongly for a bus stop out at Rathleague at Portlaoise GAA Club which has a huge number of members.” 

The council’s director of services Simon Walton said that he would communicate the councillors wishes to the National Transport Authority (NTA), adding: “The service as it currently is, is proving very successful with the stops that it does serve. We are reviewing matters on an on-going basis with the NTA regarding the location of the various stops and to the degree that they are being used. In time, a third route might be introduced.” 

Clarifying the issue of the layout of the Abbeyleix Road, Mr Walton said: “The layout of the road does not reduce the capacity for the provision of a bus service. There are areas along the Dublin Road that are not serviced and we will bring this issue to the attention of the NTA.” 

Mr Walton said that the busiest stops in the town to date are the two along James Fintan Lalor Avenue.

He said: “On one of the busiest day over 1,300 people used the service. On Saint Patrick’s Day over 1,000 people used the service. The numbers are extremely encouraging and a significant number of people in Portlaoise are using the buses. At six months into the service, and a full year into the e-bike service that was launched last July, we will come back to councillors and give a summary of the take-up and degree to which these publicly funded alternative transport modes are being utilised by the people of Portlaoise.”