Immediate measures needed to prevent school accident
By Maurice Garvey
FIVE schools in Lucan are lacking a traffic warden – creating safety concerns in two educational cluster areas.
Of the five schools, St John The Evangelist NS and Adamstown Castle Educate Together NS are located on Station Road, a road which suffers from “bad planning” according to Independent Councillor Liona O'Toole.
The other three schools are Lucan Educate Together, Gael Scoil Esker Riada and Esker Educate Together NS, all located within a North Lucan cluster.
Cllr O’Toole, who forwarded a motion requesting traffic wardens and additional road signage for the two areas at the Lucan ACM on Tuesday, believes “immediate measures” are required to prevent an accident.
Cllr O’Toole said: “On Station Road, parents bringing their kids across the road to school, are relying on the goodwill of drivers. I saw a man with his young son doing this recently. Parents are basically hoping for the best. The council aren’t willing to put in traffic wardens at the moment.
“It’s the way Adamstown was designed. Coming from Hanstead, across Newcastle Road, and into Adamstown, traffic lights are in the wrong place. When I visited the schools, there are grey barriers outside the school gates, but they are not very visible, and would be better if painted yellow and black.”
In response to Cllr O’Toole’s motion, a spokesperson for the council said: “Each of the listed schools, will be examined for the provision of additional safety measures and signing. A report will be brought to a future traffic management meeting.
“It should be noted that additional measures have been recently agreed for Station Road, Adamstown, which include double yellow lines on Castlegate Terrace and Castlegate Road, provision of slow markings on Station Road and also the provision of children warning signage on the approach from the railway station.”