ROAD Service proposals to bring a new bus stop and park and ride service to Dungiven town have been welcomed by a local business owner.
In November Road Service Chiefs submitted an application to the Planning Service to move a bus stop outside Dungiven Castle to land near the junction of Chapel and Curragh Road. The Department of Environment say the plans are currently "under consi
deration" and it is thought that if given the green light, the car park would be situated on former school land. Dungiven Castle manager Donna Martin says the town needs an expanded service.
"For us as a business it would be very welcome news. We have people checking in here that don't even know we are here because of the amount of buses and traffic in front of the building.
"A lot of bus routes travel through Dungiven everyday and people travel into the town to use those services so a bigger carpark is certainly needed to ease that."
SDLP Councillor Michael Coyle echoed the business owners comments.
"The current system we have here with parking and using the bus service is a mess at the minute. A larger car park would benefit the town greatly but a lot of thought and consultation is needed."
"I would have concerns about the proposed exit of the car park, which runs into one of the main paths of a couple of schools in the town. There's a bottle neck there as it is and extra traffic would not help this. A lot of consultation will be needed to get this right if the green light is given."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment confirmed: " A proposed park and ride car park with associated bus lay-bys and minor carriageway re-alignment at Chapel Road/ Curragh Road, Dungiven was received on November 4, 2009. "
