Glynn presses for expanded town bus service in Mullingar

Calls for the expansion of the Mullingar town bus service, additional traffic calming measures and a review of safety features at the new Saunders Bridge crossing were among the issues raised by Cllr Ken Glynn at the June meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

Cllr Glynn urged the local authority to continue pressing the National Transport Authority (NTA) to extend the Mullingar town bus service to serve more areas of the town.

In response, officials said the Municipal District would continue working with the NTA to develop and expand the service where required. The NTA has, however, advised that it does not intend to carry out a formal review of the existing MU1 and MU2 routes during 2026, as more time is needed for the routes to become established and for usage patterns to emerge.

While acknowledging the response, Cllr Glynn said demand for an expanded service was already evident. “Even this morning I’ve had queries from areas only a few hundred yards away from where we’re sitting, asking will this bus service be expanded up our way,” he said.

“I think it’s a growing service and we want to see it continue to grow. We need to keep pushing so that when they do the review, they can clearly see that it’s time to bring in a third route.”

He asked the executive to continue advocating strongly for expansion of the service.

Director of services Deirdre Reilly said the council was actively raising the issue with the NTA. “We are keeping the pressure on,” she said. “Every request, every question or motion sent in, every request we are getting from the public, we’re following that up with the NTA.

“It’s a great service for Mullingar, it’s proving itself every day, so we’re definitely aligned in relation to that and the expansion of the Mullingar bus service.”

Raithín and Farran

Traffic safety concerns in the Raithín and Farran areas of Mullingar were also highlighted by Cllr Glynn, who called for plans to be brought forward for traffic calming measures.

“With the high volume of traffic on the Ashe Road, a lot of people are using this Raithin/Farran route to get to the other side, to the school or over to where the shop is, and it’s extremely busy,” he said, adding that residents had been seeking action for years.

“This is not a one-ramp or two-ramp solution. I think it needs careful consideration.”

The District Office advised that traffic calming proposals would be considered as part of future works estimates.

District Engineer Pat Kavanagh agreed that the area was experiencing significant traffic volumes and suggested that funding contributions linked to future housing developments in the area could potentially be used to support road safety improvements. “We’re looking at a number of large planning applications in that area and maybe we can look at a contribution for road safety in the general area,” he said.

He added that if funding becomes available through the district budget, works could also be considered.

Saunders Bridge

Safety concerns at the recently opened Saunders Bridge pedestrian and cycle crossing were also raised by Cllr Glynn, who questioned the positioning of gates at one end of the structure.

The Active Travel Department advised that a Stage 3 Road Safety Audit would be carried out by an independent consultant in the coming weeks and that any issues identified would be addressed.

Cllr Glynn said he had observed the issue on the day the bridge opened and had since received concerns from parents. “The lower gate, when children come down on bicycles, literally on one or two occasions they’ve nearly been on the road,” he said.

“You’re talking about young primary school children coming from school. It’s definitely pushing them towards the road.”

Ms Reilly said the matter would be examined as part of the next phase of the safety audit process. “We’ll have experts out looking at it, and if they deem that it’s not safe or it needs to be changed, that will happen,” she said.

When asked if she understood the concerns being raised, Ms Reilly said she did but stressed that the council would await the findings of the independent assessment. “I do understand the issue. I can’t say whether it’s right or wrong until I get the professional opinion on it,” she said.

Cllr Glynn maintained that the matter required urgent attention, warning that “lives are at stake here”.

Hillview

At the same meeting, Cllr Glynn called for measures to improve road safety at Hillview in Mullingar by addressing parking issues that are affecting visibility for residents leaving the estate.

Through a motion before the Municipal District, he requested that plans be brought forward to provide safer parking arrangements at the front section of the estate, where parked vehicles are restricting sightlines.

In response, the District Office said it would consider the installation of double yellow lines at the location to prevent parking that is obstructing visibility.