Town bus 'is repeatedly getting stuck' on Athlone street

Council officials have been urged to act after being told Athlone's town bus is repeatedly getting blocked outside the Garda station, leading to traffic getting backed up along Pearse Street.

This situation happened no fewer than four times between 8am and 1.30pm on Monday of this week, according to Cllr Aengus O'Rourke who operates the Pearse Street-based Midland Print & Signs business.

At Monday afternoon's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, he said he had been in work during the first half of the day and had seen the traffic blockages happening again and again on the one-way street.

He said the narrow layout on the approach to the Garda station meant "all it takes is one car parked in the wrong position" to prevent the town bus from passing through as normal.

"Four times today the bus got stuck outside the Garda barracks, which resulted in all of the cars having to reverse, into the car park at Left Bank Mall, up to Connaught Street, or into the Revenue Commissioners.

"People were lying on their horns, people were late for their appointments, and people were frustrated out of their minds. This has now become a daily event on Pearse Street," said Cllr O'Rourke.

He raised the issue under 'any other business' at the end of Monday's meeting, saying that he could have put down a motion on it for next month's meeting, but that something needed to be done about it before then.

"It needs immediate action, even temporary action, to progress this situation because at the moment this is a daily occurrence."

The manager of the District, Willie Ryan, asked about the exact location where the congestion was occurring, and Cllr O'Rourke said he would be happy to meet him there and show it to him.

Cllr O'Rourke's Fianna Fáil colleague Cllr Frankie Keena agreed that this was a matter which "needs to be looked at urgently".