Castlereagh Alliance Councillor Michael Long and East Belfast Alliance MLA Naomi Long have renewed their appeal to Translink to review their decision to axe the number 34 Citybus service from Mount Merrion to the city centre down the Cregagh Road.
A year after the service was dropped last February, Cllr. Michael Long told Translink that constituents were still regularly contacting him to express their concerns about the loss of the service and that over 600 local people had now signed an Alliance petition asking for the Number 34 to be reinstated.
Cllr. Michael Long said: “At a meeting with Translink, I asked them to review their decision last February to axe the Number 34 Citybus service. A year on there is still great local concern about the loss of the service and the need for it remains clear from the continuing number of complaints that I have received.
“I stressed the fact that most of the complaints are from the elderly and those from low income backgrounds who are now isolated from services such as shops and doctors’ surgeries which they have used for many years along the Cregagh Road. I have therefore asked Translink to review the local situation to see if some form of link can be restored between Mount Merrion and the Cregagh estate and the Cregagh Road.
Cllr. Naomi Long added, “At the meeting other concerns from across East Belfast were raised. These included the lack of morning services on the Number 31 route to Forestside and the city centre from Lisnasharragh as well as highlighting the need for additional services on the Number 18 and 19 routes to Tullycarnet and Dundonald. They have agreed to look again at the problems faced by local people and will report back to us in the near future with their findings.”
ENDS