Rural transport review needed ahead of new county plan

A comprehensive assessment of rural connectivity, including public transport and access to services, has been called for across the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District ahead of the preparation of Westmeath’s next County Development Plan.

The mayor, Cllr Niall Gaffney, said connectivity should be one of the key issues considered as the council begins preparing for the new plan. He said the district had already spent considerable time examining local area plans for Mullingar and Athlone and considering their implications for the wider county.

“I think the first and incredibly important element of that is connectivity and services, but more importantly, connectivity,” he said.

The district was advised that TFI Local Link currently provides services across Kinnegad, Killucan/ Rathwire, Rochfortbridge, Milltownpass, Ballynacargy, Crookedwood, Multyfarnham, Raharney, Tyrrellspass, Streamstown, The Downs, Ballinea and Taghmon.

However, Cllr Gaffney said greater use should be made of Demand Responsive Transport Services (DRTS), with some of the services currently operating only on particular days.

He called for efforts to be renewed to make more of these services regular, full-time services. “We could see the demand that’s there, whether it’s Fridays, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, regular days,” he said.

He said the DRTS model provided an important link between towns and villages and was both cost-effective and community-led, and he contrasted the service with difficulties experienced by people trying to access conventional Bus Éireann routes.

He gave the example of a person living near Turin who had been advised that they would have to go to Delvin to catch a bus, before travelling back towards Mullingar.

By contrast, he said, DRTS services could collect passengers at their Eircodes, using drivers familiar with the communities they served.

He called for the services to be expanded and for the success of the new 818 service to be replicated elsewhere.

Cllr David Jones supported the motion, saying improved connectivity was badly needed to link rural areas with Mullingar.

Cllr Emily Wallace said the assessment was timely given the preparation of the County Development Plan and could identify gaps in existing transport provision.

Cllr Aoife Davitt said an overview should also examine how frequently services operate and whether passengers could be collected at more accessible locations rather than only designated stops.

The district office has agreed to write to the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann regarding rural connectivity, subject to members’ agreement.

Council officials also advised that the timetable for the County Development Plan is expected to be extended under the Planning and Development Act 2024.

Supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme