Waterford villages ‘begging’ for improved bus services which would ‘bring life back’
Cllr Niamh O’Donovan raised the issues facing rural Waterford communities at a recent meeting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District
Rural villages in County Waterford are “begging” for improved bus services which would “bring life back” to their areas, a council meeting has heard.
Fine Gael councillor Niamh O’Donovan spoke on the subject at the October meeting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District.
Cllr O’Donovan said: “A well-serviced Local Link bus route can service more than just bringing passengers to our communities. It can bring life back to our villages.
“Many villages are not serviced by public transport and are begging for this service. We need to do more as a council for these communities to be properly serviced.
“We need to be pushing as a council for more investment in that rural network.
“That URDF recent announcement of €15 million into our rural pubs brings up the important question about the future of our rural communities.”
She highlighted the importance of the bus services in bringing people to and from rural villages.
“For generations, the local pub has been the heart of village life. It’s where neighbours meet, friendships are maintained, stories are shared and communities come together.
“But I believe that there’s another important part to this conversation and that’s how people get to the heart of our communities and more importantly, how they get home.
“So whether this is the pub, the community centre, the church or whatever is going on in that community, I would like to see greater expansion of our Local Link services, with reliable, well-published routes and timetables connecting our rural villages and towns, including evening services where demand exists.”
Cllr O’Donovan argued that improved bus services would give people living in rural areas greater independence.
“This is about far more than just supporting the rural pubs.
“It’s about a teenager getting home safe from an after school activity, older people visiting friends independently, someone travelling into town for shopping or an appointment or just a bit of company to go to the local pub.
“It’s about giving people this freedom and independence.
“It’s about the support of the actual transport to get people to and from their homes where maybe they’re not driving or the roads aren’t as safe as what they used to be for walking or cycling.
She concluded by saying that the needs need to push for more Local Link services for rural communities throughout the county.
In response, Conor O’Neill, Economic Development Officer at Waterford City and County Council, said that the council intends to make rural villages more attractive.
Mr O’Neill said: “What we’re trying to do with URDF is make these towns and villages more attractive places to live, work and visit so we want that two-way route.
“I think the momentum for that is building slowly and I think the service is improving over time.
“I think we just need to look at that and try to encourage investment and build on what is there.
“The intention is to look at these towns in order to try and produce town plans and get the funding.”
He concluded by saying that the points raised by Cllr O’Donovan had been noted.