Bus Eireann's area manager for the south-east, Mr Pat Crowley, has politely requested a right of reply regarding recent discussion in this column on the future of Waterford's fine quays.
The issue, of course, is whether the aspiration to develop the quays in an integrated way as a striking riverside amenity area will be compromised by the company's plans to build a new bus station there.
Bus Eireann has always held that the modern building it proposes - a lightweight design of cut limestone, steel and glass - will enhance the quays, as well as enabling passengers to board or disembark within easy walking distance of the city centre.
It is true that the bus station will be considerably smaller and much less unsightly than the huge warehouse that stood on the site until demolished recently. And it must be conceded that, ironically, the quays' potential was only pushed into prominence by the controversy over the Bus Eireann project.
In pursuing its plan, Bus Eireann in fact initiated the much-needed removal of a series of ugly and ancient structures that disfigure the quays and obstruct the view of the river. The renovation work prompted by the Tour de France earlier this year brought about a further clearance, though some significant eyesores remain.
"I feel that the quays will be saved by careful development, and we are making a contribution to that with a tasteful development," says Mr Crowley. The new station, with parking bays for 12 buses, will be less than 20 feet high compared to the 40-feet high shed it displaces.
It will be landscaped and well managed, he says, and there will be no overnight or long-term parking of buses there. The bus station floor space will be 280 sq metres, compared to the 815 sq metres occupied by the shed. Moreover, a 4 m-wide walkway will be provided along the river bank behind the bus depot.
Bus Eireann carries 1.5 million passengers through Waterford annually. Some 60,000 use the regular service between Waterford and Rosslare, and 40,000 use the Euroline service. There will be some 50 departures from the station each day for provincial destinations.
The location will be close to the showpiece Heritage Centre and Tourist Office which is being completed on the quays, and this will be an enormous advantage to Waterford's growing tourist numbers, says Mr Crowley.
The issue seems, in any case, to be academic, since the bus station plan has been endorsed by An Bord Pleanala. But the landscaping of the facility, on which construction will begin this autumn, will be vital in terms of minimising its visual impact.
It is increasingly obvious that the quayside area, largely used as a car park, desperately needs greenery, trees in particular, to soften its desolate concrete appearance.
It is to be hoped that Bus Eireann, the corporation, the harbour board, and those private interests which control much of the quayside space, will take this to heart.