12-year-old pupil’s plea on school's dangerous crossing
A twelve-year-old pupil has made an impassioned plea for urgent safety measures to be implemented at her school, where speeding is a major source of concern.
And to make matters worse, the pupils from Ballaghlea National School near Ballygar have to cross the main N63 in order to access their playing facilities.
On one occasion this year, a teacher had to pull infant pupils to safety when a motorist failed to stop while a number of the classes were trying to cross the main Galway to Roscommon road.
In a letter written to the elected members of Ballinasloe Municipal Council, sixth class pupil Róisín Fallon outlined the dangers they faced on a daily basis.
Her letter prompted Cllr Peter Keaveney (FG) to suggest that an underpass be provided from the school to the playing pitch and PE facilities.
He said that if farmers can get permission for an underpass on main roads in order to move their cattle between lands, then surely the same could apply to a school with around 110 pupils.
It was agreed that Galway County Council would deploy their Road Safety Inspector to the scene to consider possible options for this location, but all agreed that they could not legislate for driver behaviour.
The pupils, with the assistance from an official from An Taisce, conducted a traffic survey and found that the majority of motorists exceed the speed limit in the 50km/h speed limit.
Róisín, a member of the school’s Green Scheme Committee, wrote: “The results are a major source of concern for us. Pupils from our school cross this busy road every day as our pitch and PE facilities are on the opposite side of the road.
“In order to cross the road, teachers must wear hi-viz jackets and stop the speeding traffic. Cars are often slow to stop and on one occasion this year a car failed to stop completely.
“This resulted in the teacher having to pull infant students to the side of the road for safety. I am writing to highlight our concerns,” Róisín said, as she invited the councillors to visit the school to see the situation at first hand.
Cllr Michael Connolly (FF) said that while it was a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, who have responsibility for the national roads network, there was also a health and safety issue involved.
The Moylough councillor believed there was funding available from a number agencies who would support the provision of an underpass or, indeed, overpass in order to ensure the safety of the pupils.
According to Cllr Timmy Broderick (Ind), it was all very well erecting periodic speed limits at this school and any other schools along heavily trafficked roads but they were dependent on motorists obeying the signs.
Director of Services, Derek Pender, said that there was a dedicated Road Safety Inspector available who would visit the school and provide an assessment as to what could be done to improve the situation.
Cllr Declan Geraghty (Ind) said that he did not want to see a child knocked down before the matter was taken seriously by the relevant authorities and called for an immediate assessment of the safety situation at the school.