Published: Thursday, 4th February, 2010 2:56pm

Lisbellaw's new stop comes into operation

The new bus stop area and shelter at Lisbellaw.

A campaign by local people backed by their political representatives for a more convenient bus stop at at Lisbellaw finally comes to fruition next week.

From next Monday, a new pick up and set down facility which has been constructed on the western approach to Lisbellaw village will be operative for the Ulsterbus Goldliner 261 bus service from Enniskillen to Belfast. It will mean that buses will not have to spend time negotiating parked vehicles on the narrow Main Street and allowing passengers a closer pick up and set down location to the centre of the village.

There has been controversy over the provision of a bus stop since Translink stopped passing through the village due to traffic congestion on the Main Street mainly because of parked vehicles along both sides.

The company decided to drop off and pick up passengers along the edge of the main bypass instead. This resulted in some passengers having to walk about one mile and crossing the main A4 road which has an estimated 12,000 vehicles a day travelling on it.

The potential dangers and inconvenience of this were spelled out to Translink by local residents and public representatives who met together several times to find a compromise. Local residents said the previous arrangements were not suitable for the elderly or disabled as well as mothers with prams or buggies. They said there was a potential danger in the winter months because of lack of lighting and the approach footpaths were deemed unsuitable.

They also said that the bus shelter provided was poor with no seating and offering little protection.

However last October, an agreement was reached between all interested parties which also included the Road Service for the new pick up and set down facility. Fox Contracts began construction of it before Christmas at a cost of about £30,000 involving 120 metres of new footpaths and it is now ready for service from next Monday.

Welcoming the new initiative, Councillor Cyril Brownlee said that residents he has spoken with are content with its convenience to the village.

"Crucial to the discussions was the need to ensure that the reinstating of the express service in the village would not impinge on the traffic flow, or necessitate car parking restrictions which could have impacted on local business.

"Fundamentally, passengers requiring the use of this frequent bus service to Belfast will no longer have to cross the busy A4 main road to access it. At all times in my discussions with the Roads Service and Translink on this issue, safety was the main priority," he said.