An innovative Galway County Council project designed to improve accessibility and user comfort at bus stops serving rural Gaeltacht communities in south Conamara has been named overall winner of the Age Friendly Transport Award at a gala ceremony held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin.

Organised by Age Friendly Ireland and sponsored by the Department of Transport, the Age Friendly Transport Award was one of the primary categories of Ireland’s Annual National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards.

Competition judges lauded Galway County Council’s Roads and Transportation Unit for its planning and design of the Cnoc (Indreabhán) and Casla Bus Shelters to enable people with disabilities and older people to access nearby services.

The project involved the shelters being re-oriented in direction to shelter people from the westerly wind at these locations, thereby putting the user experience to the fore in these transport solutions.

The initiative, which beat off competition from shortlisted community transport projects in Ennis and Limerick, was the subject of a judges’ visit in September during which local residents demonstrated how the vital infrastructural projects had positively impacted their lives.

Welcoming the award win, Senior Engineer Rachel Lowe said that Galway County Council’s project was recognised for ‘its thoughtful planning and design of bus shelters that specifically accommodate the needs of local people with disabilities and older adults’.

“This was reflected in the comments of the Judging Panel who praised the council’s inclusive approach and its meaningful impact on the local community. The judges were particularly moved by the personal stories shared by shelter users, which highlighted how the Council’s efforts addressed essential community needs,” she said.

Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway Councillor Albert Dolan said that the Bus Shelters project ‘has had an immensely positive effect on the quality of life for older adults, helping them maintain their independence and active engagement with the community’.

Pictured at Ireland’s Annual National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin were (from left) Garret Doocey of award sponsor Department of Transport; Linda Potter, Community Department; Mary McGann, Age Friendly Programme Manager; Rachel Lowe, Senior Engineer Roads & Transportation Unit; Ramona Burke, Community Department (all Galway County Council); Anne Mitchell, Galway County Older People’s Council; with MC Marty Whelan.