The National Transport Authority (NTA) has told Councillor James Byrne that they are planning to reconfigure the Drogheda bus station in a bid to improve the traffic flow on the Donore road and the dual carriageway.
The news came I a response to a letter from Councillor Byrne in which he outlined his concerns over the location of the bus stop on the dual carriageway beside Drogheda Bus Station.
“The number of people using the D4 and D5 services has been growing significantly which is fantastic to see” he said. “I travel the route regularly myself by bus and hop on and off at various stops.
“However, in my view, the location of this stop in particular increases the risk of accidents as it is only 100 metres beyond the set of traffic lights at what is a busy junction.
“When a bus pulls in to drop off or collect it causes a backlog of traffic onto the junction itself with motorists trying to manoeuvre into the right-hand lane to continue on their way or to ensure they are not stuck on the junction itself when the lights change from green to red. It doesn’t help cyclists either.
“Admittedly, the stop has been moved slightly further west of its former position to benefit the flow of traffic on the R132 but I’m not sure what difference this has made, if any.
“One solution may be to install a bus bay off the road itself to ensure safe passage for other motorists going through the junction.
“However, the NTA claims that the provision of a bus layby at this point is not the answer, as the bus will be greatly delayed in re-entering the running lane and changing lane to position it for the right turn and that it’s not possible to move it any further away without breaking the link with the bus station. As far as it’s concerned the bus stop will stay where it is.
“However, all is not lost as they are planning to reconfigure the bus station, and the requirements for off-road bus stops to provide within-station interchange between urban and interurban services will form part of the functional specification for the re-design project.
“This is genuinely exciting news as the bus depot could do with modernisation but it’s likely to take some time to both design, implement and fund. I would urge the NTA to get on with it and bring proposals forward as soon as possible.
