Concerns were raised earlier this month about the safety of the bus stop on Dublin' Wellington Quay where five people were killed yesterday, it has emerged. Meanwhile gardaí tonight named those who died.
One of the two buses involved was the Dublin Bus 66, which services Leixlip and Maynooth along the busy Lucan Road.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at the scene of the bus crash on Wellington Quay yesterday
Ms Catherine Murphy, who is the chairwoman of the traffic and transport committee of Leixlip Town Council, said the council had met the manager of the Dublin Bus depot on Conyngham Road on February 9th to complain about the "unsatisfactory terminus" at Wellington Quay.
The 66 originally stopped on Abbey Street but was recently relocated to the quays to make way for the Luas.
Ms Murphy said the depot manager told the town council at their meeting that Dublin Bus was unhappy at the new location and intended to move it to a new location.
"The Lucan Road Services including the 66 are some of the busier services with bus lanes for most of the journey which means there is the need to pack waiting buses into a tight area on the quays," Ms Murphy said. "At peak times, people had to push through, but I don't really think you could have predicted the accident that has happened, and the awfulness of it."
Dublin Bus said an investigation headed by senior management would be carried out. Mr Jack Lynch, the CIE chairman, also promised a full inquiry yesterday. Specialised crash investigators from Germany and Britain are to be drafted in.
Those who died were named by gardaí tonight. They were Kevin Gary (43), River Dale, Leixlip, Co Kildare, Ukranian national Vasul Tyminskyy (33), Kew Park, Lucan, Co Dublin, Margaret Traynor (59), Tulip Court, Darndale, Dublin 13, Kathleen Gilton (69), Newtown, Maynooth, Co Kildare, and
Teresa Keatley (43), Sillogue Avenue, Ballymun, Dublin 11. Seven people are still in hospital being treated for their injuries.
Dublin Bus has provided bereavement counsellors to help the families of the dead and the survivors of the accident.
The two buses involved in the crash are being examined at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park. Gardai have appealed for any witnesses to the crash to contact them.
Fine Gael's transport spokesman Mr Denis Naughten said he would raise the investigation into the cause of the tragedy the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, in the Dáil later this week. "I also want to establish what information, if any, was provided to the management of Dublin Bus concerning the safety of this particular bus-stop, which could have averted the incident or at least reduced the level of fatalities."