A DUBLIN CITY COUNCILLOR has called for a tracker to be placed on a bus stop that’s been “repeatedly removed by a local resident”.
Green Party councillor Donna Cooney told The Journal that she was recently contacted by a resident in Raheny who was concerned about older residents having difficulty in getting to the bus stop after the one closest to them was repeatedly removed.
Cooney said she hasn’t had any representations from anybody complaining about this particular bus stop, the 4386 on Watermill Road, St Annes, Raheny.
She doubts it’s an act of “mindless vandalism” because if it was, “there would be more than one bus stop removed and it wouldn’t be the same one”.
Cooney wrote to Dublin Bus about the issue and was informed that its operations team had investigated a complaint relating to the bus stop.
A Dublin Bus rep told Cooney that the “investigation found that the bus stop is being removed by a local resident on a regular basis”.
However, the statement noted that while Dublin Bus is responsible for the operation of bus services, the National Transport Authority (NTA) “holds ownership of the bus stops” and that that matter has been reported to them.
Some resident is repeatedly removing a Bus stop 4386 on watermill Road St Annes Raheny. I've been informed after making a representation to Dublin Bus on behalf residents. Making it very difficult for older and less mobile residents. This is unbelievable and have requested… pic.twitter.com/lx3MgeWPI0
— Cllr. Donna Cooney (@donna_cooney1) April 30, 2024
Cooney has written to the NTA and asked them to replace the bus stop and place a tracker in it.
She told The Journal: “When lifebuoys are removed, trackers are sometimes placed in them so that we can tell if somebody has removed it.
“So I thought, if this is something that’s going to be happening, surely a very simple tracker can be put into it.”
Cooney has also written to the superintendent in Raheny Garda Station to ask that they have an investigation with Dublin Bus as to who is removing this bus stop.
Cooney said she expects a “full investigation” and that gardaí will “take this seriously, because it’s part of our Transport Ireland infrastructure”.
“You can’t just go along removing the bus stop just because you don’t like it or whatever,” said Cooney.
“You go through the proper authorities. If you have a concern, you get onto your public reps and ask then to move it.
“I don’t know who it is, or what their reasonings are, it is bizarre, but there has to be something systematic about that particular bus stop because otherwise they would be randomly taking up bus stops here and there.”
Cooney noted that she often gets representation from people concerned about bus stop locations in terms of wheelchair accessibility but remarked that this incident “is so bizarre”.
She added: “Whoever is doing this has absolutely no consideration for other people in the neighbourhood.
“If they have an issue about a bus stop, get on to your public rep.
“Bus stops can be moved a few metres, so it’s possible if someone had a particular concern about the actual location that it could be moved a few meters either side.
“But to take a piece of property that’s not yours and to remove it, and I don’t know what they’re doing with it.”
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