Gardaí and emergency services have joined forces with a school in Ballina in Co Mayo to highlight concerns about the lack of a footpath on a road which sees speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour.
The day of action took place at the newly built Culleen National School with calls for a safe route and pedestrian crossing to be introduced as a matter of urgency.
In April of this year, staff and pupils moved across the road into their long sought after new school on the Killala Road.
But the daily stress of a busy roadway and no footpath on the school side of the R314 has overtaken all the positives at Scoil Naomh Bríd, Culleen.
Deirdre O'Loughlin is the Green Schools coordinator at Culleen NS.
"We have this fabulous new school just across the road from our old school. But we're terrified to let our children cross the road without a footpath on the school side.
"It's just not safe with these speeds and no pedestrian crossing. The speed limit at the moment is 80 kilometres per hour. A recommendation from green schools is that all schools should have a limit of 30 kilometres per hour just outside of school. That's what we're campaigning for."
A survey conducted by the school showed that the number of those travelling to school by car had increased since the move across the road to the new school, and those travelling by foot and by bike had decreased.
A day of action at Culleen NS in Ballina in protest at the lack of a footpath amidst speeds of up to 80 km/h @rtenews @RSAIreland @GardaTraffic pic.twitter.com/lfiCsxB8em
— Teresa Mannion (@TeresaMannion) October 17, 2024
Councillor Mark Duffy lives in Ballina and his brother Michael Duffy teaches at the school. He said safety concerns have been raised for many years.
"There's a number of big companies in the area here and there's a lot of traffic. It's the main road. And the speed limit coming in past our school is 80 kilometres an hour, and that is just too fast, because when the kids are walking to school, it's just too dangerous.
"For staff and pupils cycling and walking to school it just stops pretty much close to the school, around about a 300-metre patch where there's no path.
"So we have to cross the main road which is treacherous in the morning, when there's so much traffic, and in the evening there's a lot of cars coming. So it's really unacceptable at this stage.
"The bottom line is that this path needs to be put in for the safety of children and future children coming to the school, so we don't need to hear about steps being taken and funding priorities etc. We just need it done."
Culleen National School has used a "walking bus" in the past which was popular with children.
Lily Roland, a fourth class student, said: "We can't walk to school now because our new school is built on the opposite side of the road. We have no footpath, and it is too dangerous for children to cross."
Lexi Smith is in third class and is one of the newly-elected representives on the school's green committee.
"We held an election yesterday and I had to write a speech. I delivered the speech to my class and my classmates voted for me. Walking to school is good for us and the world, but most Culleen people can't because we have no footpath or pedestrian crossing, people need to do something about it.
"I will try my best at trying to get people to slow down and stop for kids crossing. I am concerned that kids will get hit or seriously injured."
Ronan Kylie, who is in sixth class, said: "Our theme this year is travel safe to school. We are focusing on travel safety to school and making a difference.
"We need more walkers and more people on bicycles, but we need to be safe."
Councillor Mark Duffy added that while there are active travel funds there is "a lot of talk and a lot of plans and bureaucracy and consultations but nothing done by way of interventions".
He said: "It's a very straightforward request for the footpaths to be built and for safety measures to be created to make the school a more safer, enjoyable place for children and residents of the local estates to walk and cycle to school, and to make it a safer place for for teachers and students.
"So we're calling on immediate action ... we need the national bodies such as TII and the NTA to support Mayo county council and deliver it because local engineers in the council are saying that their hands are tied until support comes available from the national bodies."
A lack of footpaths is an ongoing issue for many schools in rural Ireland and highlights the challenge of getting pupils to walk to school.
Despite numerous initiatives to ease traffic congestion and get kids moving, many parents and teachers say it is just too dangerous to let them walk to school.
