Bettystown cllrs welcome new transport infrastructure but calls are made for shelters on N2

New bus stops and shelters are on the way for a number of areas in the Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District area.

Bettystown, Laytown, Donacarney, Duleek, Donore and Slane will all see new transport infrastructure in 2025 and beyond a local authority meeting for March was told.

Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade welcomed the news but said that bus shelters were urgently needed on the busy N2 road.

"The N2 has a very busy bus route and it affects Slane and a number of stops and there are no bus shelters along the N2 and I think that has to be something we need to engage with TI or yourselves on," he said.

"We require bus stops along the N2, I see that as a massive priority," added the Fine Gael Cllr.

Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan raised the issue of the deterioration of bus stop poles and sought confirmation that no car park spaces would be eliminated in Laytown as part of these works.

"Can we get a look at the design of the accommodation works that are going to be carried out in Laytown, I just want to be certain we're absolutely not going to lose any car parking spaces, and if at all possible, with the accommodation works, if we could increase the car parking spaces would be great," said Tolan.

"The new bus stop that we moved as part of the the accommodation works around the new school in Laytown, there's no pole at all there indicating that the bus stop is there and I'm just wondering, can we get that installed?" she added.

"Some of them are rusted and are awful looking. Can we get a survey done on them around the county or around the district, and get them freshened up, because it's a fairly poor looking some of them?"

In response Meath County Council said that no car parking facilities would be jeopardised and that a bus pole, renewable programme to change some of them over to a stainless steel pole from the red lollipop style ones was underway.

Meanwhile Sinn Fein Cllr Maria White said she was disappointed to see that Mornington was not in line to get any new bus stops or shelters.

"We have a lot of elderly people there who need connectivity to Bettystown. They're going down there to collect pensions. We have a lot of children in the mornings who are using the bus stop to travel to school in Bettystown and it's not very heartening to see that there are no plans for a bus shelter.

"I honestly feel, as a council, councilors, we need to push the NTA on a better infrastructure system in terms of shelters for the coast, if we're talking about being genuine in trying to get people to use public transport."

In response a Meath County Council official said:

“The request for bus stops, bus shelters, bus enhancement, accessibility and bus stops is county wide. We're trying to just be up front here present the list of what we have got money for. We would love to put a zero at the end of the money we receive. And the point is that we are moving into a much higher public use of both services.

"The Local Links are coming across the county but we still have only got €500,000 a year and we have to try and spread spend as best we can."