Shelter sought for bus passengers at Belvedere grounds

A request that a bus shelter be provided by the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District at Belvedere House and Gardens in the next phase of Bus Shelter Installations across the district was made by Cllr Emily Wallace at the most recent meeting of the district members.

The written response provided by officials stated that if the members are in agreement, a letter can be issued to the NTA to consider it further.

Cllr Wallace admitted that she had not been aware that a bus travelled out to Belvedere three times a day from Mullingar, taking in Austin Friars Street, the railway station and taking in Prospect, The Manor and Pettitswood.

“By placing a bus shelter at Belvedere, I feel that would advertise the fact you can get there by public transport,” she said, adding that the car park can get congested there, and as part of the move to get people to shift away from car use, it would be worthwhile letting them know about the bus service.

“If people are tourists coming into the area, they don’t have to drive to Belvedere. You can get the train from Dublin, you can hop on the bus to Belvedere, have a lovely afternoon there and come back into Mullingar and spend money in our local great shops, and hop back on the train and head back. It’s that simple. So it’s about advertising what services we have available and a shelter at that location is a way to show the service is available and open for use.”

In support of the proposal was Cllr Denis Leonard, who is on the board of Belvedere. He said since he first came on the council he has been pushing for bus shelters at various locations, and he is also passionate about public transport. He said that one way to encourage public transport is to provide bus shelters.

Also in favour was Cllr Ken Glynn, who said he would support anything that could help the success of the bus service and build the numbers was to be welcomed.

Cllr Bill Collentine said: “The day is gone for standing in the rain while you wait,” he said, while the view of Cllr Andrew Duncan was that the provision of a bus shelter there would be a worthwhile investment.

Director of services, Deirdre Reilly, assured members that a letter would be sent to the National Transport Authority bringing the suggestion to its attention. She added that a primary objective of the district executive in 2024 is to re-imagine Belvedere House and Gardens, and it would be seeking Just Transition funding towards that end.