Blind woman’s bus stop woes

A VISUALLY-impaired woman who complained to Dublin City Council about a Southside bus stop being used by motorists for parking says she doesn’t understand why more is not being done about the problem.

Aine Wellard said the issue at bus stop No 387, in front of the former post office on Sandymount Road at Sandymount Green, includes car owners parking there to go to the shops. This has made it difficult for the bus to get to the stop and harder for her to hear it coming. 

“It has been suggested that creating a loading bay nearby would be a low cost solution,” she said. “After some persuasion Dublin City Council repainted the bus markings but have done nothing else. The bus still can’t pull in.

“On occasions I’ve walked out to a lorry because the diesel engine sounds like a Dublin Bus,” she added.“If the bus could pull in, I wouldn’t make that mistake. I’ve also missed the bus at times because it has to pull in metres short of the bus stop and I wouldn’t know.

“When you approach drivers about parking there illegally, they do not move. They say ‘I’ll only be here for a minute, I’ll tell you when the bus comes’.”

Ms Wellard uses the stop on a regular basis during the week as she travels into the city centre where she works.

She has met with the Traffic Sergeant at Irishtown Garda Station who took photos and recognised the problem although he indicated to her that it was difficult to enforce fines as they do not have the manpower to be on call when someone parks at the bus stop.

According to Ms Wellard, Dublin City Council told her that if there are no gardaí available that she should note down the registration of offending vehicles and report them.

However, Aine said this was impossible as she is blind and is unable to read the number plates.

Ms Wellard said that when the bus cannot pull in properly to the kerb, this creates accessibility issues.

Ms Wellard explained that that if the bus is several metres from the footpath, it makes getting onto the bus more difficult. She related how, on one occasion, a bus driver had to leave a wheelchair user short of the bus stop because the bus could not pull in close enough to lower the wheelchair ramp.

Ms Wellard told Southside People that she is at the end of her tether. She is now considering going directly to the Equality Tribunal to make a complaint of discrimination.

A spokesperson for Dublin Bus told Southside People that they do not comment on individual complaints.

“However, I can confirm that we are currently reviewing the location of bus stop 387,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council suggested we contact the gardaí in relation to the matter. However, there was no comment from the Garda Press Office at time of going to press.