Bus parking facilities rewarded
SLIGO has been recognised as one of the country’s leading destinations for coach parking and could see a boost in tourism as a result.
The town was awarded a special certificate at the Coach and Bus show at the RDS in Dublin this weekend, with representatives from Sligo Business Improvement District attending the event.
Councillor Rosaleen O’Grady said that the award showcases the hard work the town has put into securing proper coach parking facilities, which could attract a lot more tourists to the area.
She said: “In the past it has been very difficult for coach parking as there wasn’t really anywhere to park other than Markievicz Road. In the last six months, there has been coach parking secured at The Model and the facilities on Markievicz Road have also been upgraded.”
Cllr O’Grady was referring to the dedicated coach parking area which was introduced on Connaughton Road during the summer months. Nine buses can be accommodated at a time and Cllr O’Grady said that although the facilities aren’t perfect, it is a stepping stone for future improvement.
She said: “There have been instances in the past where coaches have had to leave because there was nowhere for them to park. This has resulted in a huge loss of revenue.
“Ideally I would have loved to have seen a dedicated area put in at Quayside but unfortunately this was not feasible.”
“I do have to thank the County CEO and the Roads Development team for putting the parking in place at The Model.”
The news of an award came after Sligo BIDS applied to Tourism Transport Ireland to ask them to assess the new and upgraded facilities.
As a result of those assessments, the town received a certificate to say it is a coach friendly area.
Cllr O’Grady said: “It was great to get the chance to go to the RDS and promote Sligo and encourage bus operators to consider Sligo.
“This is a very positive achievement and it changes the perception that Sligo wasn’t a coach friendly destination before.
“We are very heartened by this and we considered it to be a stepping stone to improve the facilities even more.
“We hope to put more infrastructure in place over the next four to five years.
“We hope to say an increase in revenue after that five years and to continually advance.”
Cllr O’Grady added that the certificate is leaving the town in a good position to showcase all it has to offer.
The introduction of the dedicated coach area on Connaughton Road was done in conjunction with refurbishments to the Markievicz Road facility. This area operates as a drop- off and collection point for visitors to Sligo.
The works included the installation of new bus shelters, new brick paving and decorative public lighting columns.
The Connaughton Road works included public lighting upgrades, the installation of CCTV and the provision of a dedicated exit and entry point for coaches.
Sligo County Council said these works took place due to the significant increase in the number of tourist coaches arriving in the town on a daily basis.