Carrick bus shelter ‘not fit for purpose’ 

Urgent modifications to a bus shelter on the N4 in Carrick-on-Shannon have been called for with councillors warning that passengers are being left exposed to rain and winter weather while waiting for services.

The concerns were raised at a Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District meeting, where members discussed the bus shelter opposite the Landmark Hotel as part of wider town improvement works costing €740,000.

The motions were brought forward by councillors Irene Guckian Rabbitte, Sean McGowan and Paddy Farrell.

Members said the shelter opposite the Landmark Hotel is failing to provide adequate protection for passengers, particularly during periods of heavy rain.

The council’s roads department has requested that design consultants review the shelter and recommend possible design modifications.

Cllr Sean McGowan said the works are needed before the winter months, when passengers waiting at the stop can be left soaked by rain.

“In the wintertime if they are standing there, they are absolutely drenched.

“It’s a fabulous facility but it just needs some modification. We are hoping the recommendation from the consultant would be glass at the back to shelter the people,” he said.

Fellow councillor Cormac Flynn said the shelter is “not fit for purpose” during the winter period.

He also called for an assessment of the bus shelter across the road, which serves passengers travelling to Dublin and, he said, has only enough space for four people.

Cllr Flynn said the shelters needed to be “trebled in size” to properly accommodate passengers using the busy stop.

Councillors also noted that passengers often leave the shelter and stand beside the nearby toilet block instead. While there is no roof at that location, members said it can still offer more protection from the rain than the existing bus shelter.

Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme