Call for service to link local towns to Bettystown and Laytown beaches

Ann Casey

Published: Tue 7 Jul 2020, 3:41 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Jul 2020, 3:43 PM

A CALL for a bus service linking towns through Meath with the beaches in Laytown and Bettystown over the summer months has been made by Cllr Ronan Moore.

He has asked for Meath Co Council in conjunction with Locallink - Flexibus to consider opening and operating a community summer bus beach service.

Cllr Moore's suggestion arose during council discussions around the continuation of a car-free Laytown and Bettystown beach at last Friday's Environmental Strategic Policy Committee.

"While Covid restrictions may currently hamper the use of public transport, I think it makes long-term sense to open up a county bus route over the summer months. We are lucky as a county to have such fine beaches as Laytown and Bettystown and I feel we need to sell these more, especially to our own constituents.

“However, currently it can be far easier to get to these beaches from Dublin and Louth than from Trim, Athboy, Kells and Navan. Indeed for residents of these towns, Dublin beaches can sometimes be more accessible and we should address that.”

He said one way to deal with it is to create a reliable and affordable bus service that comes from the likes of Kells, Trim and Athboy, through Navan, and onwards to these beaches.

“This is something that is very common in continental Europe. Not only would this reduce the need for car parking in Laytown and Bettystown; it would open these beaches for those who may not have access to a car; as well as help us live up to our environmental and climate change commitments.

“While popularity for such service might be concentrated in mornings and evenings as residents and families go and return from the beach, I also think there is an additional opportunity where residents in Laytown and Bettystown who might otherwise use the existing public transport links to go to Dublin to complete certain shopping tasks, may instead decide to remain in county and take the returning buses to central Meath shopping hubs such as Navan," he concluded.