‘I have arthritis in my knees... I could do without walking an extra mile’

JOHN Delaney gets the 133 service regularly enough from Bray to Wicklow town so he can meet up with his brother and head off fishing.

While waiting at the terminus at the back of Wicklow Gaol for his return bus home to Bray recently, John shared his frustration over recent route changes to the service which no longer sees buses enter Bray town centre. The measure was introduced in December and will continue into February, with Bus Eireann stating that significant traffic congestion in Bray town centre was the reason behind the decision.

‘Generally the service is OK but the changes to the route are annoying,’ said John.

‘ The buses no longer go into the town centre, which was always handiest stop for me. Now I have to walk about a mile extra to get home or to get to the bus stop.

‘I have arthritis in my knees so I could do without having to walk an extra mile. The stop also doesn’t have a shelter so you are in trouble if it rains. Sometimes you see an elderly person standing there with no cover and it just isn’t right,’ he said.

According to Bus Eireann, the changes introduced on the 133 route in December have resulted in ‘improved service reliability and reduced journey times to the city centre for the majority of passengers who use the service.’

With traffic levels now back to normal following the Christmas rush, the temporary change will continue until February 4 to assess the impact of the re-routing. Bus Eireann, along with the National Transport Authority, will then review the impact of the route changes before making a decision on future routings in Bray.