AN ACTIVE community group in Inagh are appealing to have an additional bus stop.
Three years on from an initial request for a bus stop to be built at Ballyea Cross in Inagh, the matter will once again be brought to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
In 2022, Clare County Council raised the prospect of adding bus stops on the N85 at Ballyea Cross with TII. “The location in question was considered unsuitable on a number of safety grounds after a preliminary assessment and consultation with the TII safety engineer,” senior executive engineer in the Council’s transportation section, Anne O’Sullivan recalled.
Cllr Shane Talty (FF) in a motion before the West Clare Municipal District asked the Council, TII and the National Transport Authority to “revisit previous proposals to add Bus Stops at Ballyea Inagh. There is an active community group willing to support any landowner discussions required to facilitate the stops”.
O’Sullivan was not optimistic that the views of TII would have changed in the intervening three years. “Whilst these prevailing road conditions have not changed the RDO will discuss this request again with TII and Transport for Ireland (TFI)”.
When groups are keen to promote use of public transport, there needs to be some recognition, Cllr Talty believed. “On the topic of encouraging people to avail of public transport, we have more routes going on, there is a group in Ballyea in Inagh persisting with their efforts to try have a stop there. On the 350 bus route, it leaves Ennis and they have an acknowledged stop in Fountain, Kilnanona and Corofin Cros where there is no infrastructure. We’re not looking for parking areas, they just want something similar to those stops”.
His proposal was seconded by Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) while Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) stated, “We’ve a really good system running through North Clare, we need to identify markers and have some shelters or a stop there”.
