WATCH Drone footage shows Johnstown school traffic snaking back 1.7km

Massive 1.7km tailbacks and traffic mayhem in Johnstown on school mornings has been highlighted by the school community as a very real danger to the lives of local children.

Drone footage taken by Drone Services Ireland of school traffic was taken last Thursday morning to highlight the general chaos in the area as children make their way to and from the school campus each day.
The footage showed that the tailbacks of traffic stretch 1.7km back from the set down area at the campus.


And parents fear the situation will get much worse as the new 300 Dunville housing units (inset) begin using the same entry and exit routes.
Fears for the safety of the 1,500 children travelling to school each day have seen 500 people sign a petition for the exit on the old Johnstown Road to be re-opened to alleviate the traffic chaos each morning.
An incident before Christmas saw an ambulance have difficulty accessing the school because of traffic - and not during rush hour. They want the emergency services to have access to the gate on the old road.
Principal of St Stephen’s NS, Jenny McHugh, has been calling on Meath County Council to allow them re-open the gate on the old road (L5050) so that school traffic can enter via the existing gate and leave via the L5050 to ease the gridlock currently experienced at school times.

She warned that there is already traffic chaos and this is set to get much worse when 300 houses being constructed in the Dunville estate come on stream, while another 400 are being built in Cois Glaisin.
There are also plans for the future development of lands in Farganstown, which will further exacerbate the problem.
“We want this resolved before it gets a million times worse.

“At the moment the campus has just one entrance and exit. There is traffic chaos every morning with a big line back to the roundabout at Supervalu and back to the Kentstown Road. There are 700 houses currently being built which will increase traffic even more.
“The Dunville exit is at the school gates. This will block up our entrance even more.”
“A few years ago, the council told us they would consider giving us an exit only but nothing ever came of it. With all the increased traffic on top of the present gridlock something has to be done. This is a serious issue. It is a safety issue and an issue Meath County Council has to resolve. We are fed up with this issue being ignored. We are doing this for the 1,500 children who use the campus,” concluded Ms McHugh.

Deputy Shane Cassells met with Ms Jenny McHugh at the gates of the school campus on Monday morning to view the traffic mayhem for himself.
The issue of redirecting the traffic out onto the road at the rear of the school was raised by Deputy Cassells at the meeting of Meath Oireachtas members and council executives later that morning at County Hall.
Deputy Cassells has sought proposals from the council on how they propose the traffic congestion will be alleviated given the fact that over 300 homes are currently under construction at the gates of the school.
“Things are chaotic down there as things stand and with hundreds of new homes about to be occupied over the coming months the congestion at the school is only going to get worse,” remarked Deputy Cassells.
“Traffic needs to be allowed to exit out on to the road at the rear of the school in order to relieve this pressure point.

The petition is available online at ‘my.uplift.ie/petitions/open-the-gate-to-keep-the-children-safe’.