New school bus stop for Loughnavalley students

Bus Éireann have confirmed that a new pick up/drop off point at Loughnavalley will commence in September.

Students attending Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan can now avail of a new pick-up point at the church carpark in Loughnavalley. The students from the village will no longer have to travel to the cross roads to get the school bus.

The current stop at Carey’s Cross will be replaced with a pick up/drop off point at the Old Rail Trail carpark.The provision of this new service follows concerns from parents regarding the safety of the current arrangement at the cross.

The new route will include a stop at the greenway carpark on the Loughnavalley road. Crucially, the pick-up point and drop off point will be on the left hand side only to avoid road crossing and for safety reasons. There is adequate parking at this location. The bus will continue to Loughnavalley church carpark and then proceeds to Castletown Geoghegan for the normal pick-up point.

The welcome news comes in time for the upcoming school year and for the opening of the new Mercy Secondary School.

In response to the announcement Deputy Robert Troy said he had been contacted by a number of concerned parents in recent months advocating for such a stop.

“I welcome the revision of stops in this area as many parents have had huge concerns regarding the safety of the current pick-up point at Carey’s Cross, the old rail trail car park, just a few hundred yards down the road will prove to be a far more suitable location. With the anticipated opening of the new Mercy Secondary School on track for September it is good to see Bus Eireann are willing to cater for the additional capacity demand and provide a safe route to school for students in Loughnavalley” Deputy Troy said.

Cllr Tom Farrell also welcomed the news saying he is ‘delighted’ that safety concerns have been addressed and that a new bus stop has been agreed.

“Following on from my Motion at Westmeath County Council, this new stop has been arranged. I want to thank Minister Peter Burke and Bus Eireann for their help and collaboration on this.

“As our local infrastructure improves, we need to assess the school bus routes and make sure we have the safest possible pick-up and drop-off points for all students,” says Cllr. Farrell.