Clare County Council have said it remains committed to providing a southbound bus shelter in Crusheen.
A fresh request for a second bus shelter in Crusheen was made by Cllr Pat Burke (FG) at the July meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District. He suggested a site adjacent to the railway bridge “on publicly owned lands with ample space for parking”.
Senior executive engineer, Niamh Madden said the feasibility of a bus stop adjacent to the bridge would be assessed but admitted they had concerns relating to the “distance from the village centre and the need to cross the road at the bridge”.
She detailed that the local authority was committed to find a site for the southbound bus shelter in Crusheen. “The Council was unable to reach an agreement in relation to land adjacent to the existing southbound stop. As a result, an alternative site was proposed within the village centre and its location was approved by both Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA). The Council was unable to get consensus in relation to this proposed location”.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Burke recalled the controversy caused previously but praised the Council’s commitment. “I would have thought they wouldn’t be crossing the road at the bridge but further up the street,” he added. “With the motorway adjacent to it, it is a much sought after location, the services must match that”.
Bus shelters in Crusheen “are on the agenda for a long time,” Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) observed. “The older residents have been looking for a bus shelter since I’ve been representing the area”. He continued, “A second site is important but we have to be mindful of the population and the houses being built”.
Morgan Lahiffe, senior executive officer agreed that the centre of Crusheen would be “an ideal spot for two bus shelters but that is not going to happen”. He cautioned that widespread consensus won’t be met for any proposal so instead the majority of the village’s support was needed.
