Councillor says “safety of the public is totally ignored” at Carrick bus stop works

Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire said that works at improving the bus stop opposite the Landmark Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon are clearly over running the time anticipated and asked for an outline of the cause of the delay.
“The state in which the area has been left during the delay is a cause of concern, as the safety of the public is totally ignored,” she said, adding that the “level of safety shown by whoever has outlined the footprint down there has no common sense.”
She said that what “was shown to the people who walk the walkway of Carrick-on-Shannon down at that bus stop is horrendous” adding the “danger of it is the worst part.”
Cllr Armstrong McGuire said people “are guided to cross the road and cross back again on the N4, which is already causing disruption out the Boyle road and Dublin road, is totally ridiculous,” adding that the plan needs to be reconsidered.
She said that people have “to stop walking at the toilet block, cross the road and cross back again into the park” and that it could have “easily been cordoned off with a walk-through and kept at the riverside; people did not need to come out on the road.”
The report by the council stated that the main cause of the delays to the project are due to the presence of an underground electricity cable through the site and the records of the existing services did not show power cables going through the site. The diversion of this cable did take time as the ESB had to upgrade sub stations in Cortober and Carrick- on-Shannon before they could divert the cable off the bus stop site.
The response continued that “safety of the general public has not been ignored. The site has been cordoned off to prevent access. The public footpath had to be closed down and pedestrians were signed to cross the road to continue.”
It continued, “The electricity cable work has been completed and our contractor has returned to site. We estimate that work will be completed before year end.”
Cllr Paddy Farrell seconded the motion as did Cllr Sean McGowan.
Justin Fannon, Leitrim County Council, said it would be reviewed.