Push for more proactive approach to school road safety across Clare - Clare Echo

CLARE County Council is being urged to take a more proactive approach to road safety at schools, particularly those not currently benefiting from the national Safe Routes to School Programme.

*Pencil bollards outside Sixmilebridge National School || Inset: Cllr Rachel Hartigan

The motion was submitted by Cllr Rachel Hartigan (FF) at the October meeting of Clare County Council, seeking an assessment of schools experiencing traffic congestion, road safety risks and pedestrian access difficulties during drop-off and collection times.

It called on the council to identify locations where practical safety measures could be introduced, including improved crossings and footpaths, traffic calming, safer set-down and pick-up arrangements and additional signage.

The motion also called for the council to work with the National Transport Authority (NTA), An Taisce and other relevant bodies to pursue funding and inclusion in future rounds of the Safe Routes to School Programme.

In a written response, Director of Services Carmel Kirby said Clare had approximately 111 primary schools and 16 post-primary schools spread across a large and predominantly rural county.

She said a separate countywide assessment of schools with potential traffic and safety problems would require significant resources and duplicate the assessment process already established under the national programme.

Ms Kirby said Safe Routes to School was funded by the NTA and administered by An Taisce, which carries out school engagement, site assessments and safety reviews, identifies potential interventions and prioritises schools for investment.

She said the council’s role was primarily to support the delivery of approved infrastructure measures at schools that secured funding, while responsibility for assessing schools and determining their suitability rested with An Taisce and the NTA.

Schools not currently participating in the programme were encouraged to contact An Taisce and submit applications for consideration in future rounds, she said.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Hartigan said the written response did not fully address her motion, which she said was not intended to replace An Taisce’s work but to encourage a more proactive approach by the council.

Cllr Ian Lynch (IND), who seconded the motion, said road safety at schools had been a longstanding issue in the West Clare Municipal District.

“We can’t sit back and do nothing, we need to do something on this,” he said.

Cllr Michael Begley (IND) said, to his knowledge, applications to the Safe Routes to School Programme had been closed for three or four years and had not reopened.

He also said some schools could require more significant interventions, including road realignment to accommodate school buses, requiring coordination between the council and other bodies.

Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) supported the motion, saying the council needed to take a more practical approach to school safety, particularly as children were being encouraged to walk or cycle to school. She said such measures were needed while schools awaited national funding.

Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) also called for a more proactive approach, saying speed limits and road safety were interconnected.

“We need measures taken to slow people down,” he said, describing school safety as a “real concern, real issue”.

Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) said the issue was about “the safety and wellbeing of our young people”, adding that vehicle speed was a particular concern.

Responding to the discussion, Ms Kirby said she had not been aware that applications to the national programme were closed.

She said Clare currently had seven live projects under the Safe Routes to School Programme, while acknowledging the pressure on available budgets.

Cllr Hartigan reiterated that her proposal was not about replacing the national programme, but about finding ways to help schools that were not being reached by it.

Cllr Lynch suggested the council could consider a separate local scheme, potentially allocating €30,000 to €40,000 to each municipal district for safety measures such as road markings.

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