‘Badly needed’ bus shelter at Drogheda Hospital won’t be provided this year
A long‑requested bus shelter for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will not be installed this year, Louth County Council has confirmed — prompting frustration from several councillors across the county.
At the latest meeting of the council, Cllr Ejiro O’Hare Stratton said she had been seeking a shelter at the busy hospital for two years, insisting it is “badly needed” by staff, patients and visitors who are frequently left waiting in poor weather.
The meeting heard from council officials that while no shelter is planned directly outside the Lourdes Hospital, one will be installed at Cross Lanes, which was described as “very, very close”.
Cllr Antoin Watters said he was “very disappointed” that no locations in north Louth had been included in this year’s programme for new shelters.
“There are a lot of places in rural areas where people are standing out in the rain waiting on buses, including kids going to school,” he said. He added that he had been requesting shelters for several areas in Carlingford “for many years”.
Cllr Watters also asked whether the list provided was limited to 2024 and if additional locations could be considered next year.
Cllr Dolores Minogue welcomed the inclusion of mid‑Louth stops but questioned why Ardee was overlooked, noting that as a commuter town with many students and workers relying on buses, a shelter in the town centre was essential.
Cllr Rachel Kerley highlighted safety concerns at a bus stop in Dunleer where, she said, passengers were forced to move around the bus on the road.
Cllr Pearse McGeough welcomed plans for two shelters in Castlebellingham but pointed out that Dunleer — the county’s fourth largest town — would miss out this year.
New bus shelters are set to be installed at a number of locations around Louth.
Cllr Robert Nash suggested that older shelters being replaced with new‑spec models could be reused in areas with urgent needs.
Responding, Director of Service David Hanratty said there were a “significant” number of locations where the council would like to provide shelters, but the rollout was constrained by this year’s budget.
He added that proposed new locations could still be referred to the operations team for consideration in future programmes.
Mr Hanratty said ongoing public‑realm projects influenced the decision not to install shelters in Ardee or Dunleer this year — noting that works planned under Ardee 2040, and a scheme under consideration for Dunleer, made it unwise to install shelters that might later need to be removed.
The provisional list of locations for new bus shelters in Louth includes: George Street, Drogheda, Cross Lanes, Drogheda, North Road, Drogheda, McDonald’s, Dundalk, Castlebellingham Northbound, Castlebellingham Southbound, DkIT Dundalk (two shelters) and Monasterboice.