Pupils and parents fear walking HGV-filled road where you are ‘taking your life in your hands’

Traffic calming measures are urgently required at Cushinstown NS before a child is killed or seriously injured, according to concerned parents campaigning to slow down vehicles that travel on the busy R152 road that links Drogheda and Kilmoon Cross.

Parents of students who attend Cushinstown National School say the worrying situation is an accident waiting to happen due to poor signage, a lack of safety infrastructure and an increased volume of HGVs along with cars failing to adhere to the speed limit.

Aimee Cosgrove says that although her family live on the Hilltown Road, a stone’s throw from the school, she cannot allow her children walk the short distance as doing so is “taking your life in your hands.”

“We try to walk as much as possible but it is absolutely terrifying,” said mum-of-four Aimee.

“Nobody adheres to the speed limit, if they are adhering to the speed limit it’s because they are stuck in traffic on one side of the road. You can squeeze past cars on one side of the road and the cars on the other side of the road are flying. The amount of near misses we have had is shocking. I know active travel is being promoted and we are in a position that we can walk but you are taking your life in your hands so that is off limits for us which is a huge shame.

“I went to that school when I was younger and I could walk to school, but there is no way I would ever let my children walk without an adult. You never know what you are going to be met with.”

Being situated so close to the main N2 road is one reason for the “dangerous” traffic situation for parents and children travelling to and from the school as Aimee explains:

“If you are coming from Kilmoon Cross the signage is awful, it is not very visible and the actual school signage with flashing lights doesn’t work. Once you drive past the first turn for the school road, the speed limit changes to 80km per hour straight away before it gets to the junction where four roads converge.

“The amount of HGVs on the road has dramatically increased. Once cars come off the N2 they fly down the road. Because of the volume of traffic, the hard shoulder is in absolute disrepair, you have to jut out and in if you are walking along which is not safe either. How safe can you feel when you are standing there and five HGVs are zooming past you, you are literally a foot away from them? It is madness.”

Eva Hetherton also lives nearby but says walking to and from the school is not for the faint hearted.

“I do try and walk when I can but at that time in the morning you are taking your life in your hands. The traffic is coming from four or five different directions,” said the concerned parent.

“People try to be nice and stop and let you try to cross the road but the person behind them mightn’t see that and pull out and you have to just stand back and try to wait for a safe passage but you could be standing there for a long time if you don’t want to take a risk,” she added.

“A pedestrian crossing would really make such a difference there and speed ramps to slow people down.”

“My eldest is in sixth class but I could never let her go down on her own.”

Colm Naughton, principal of Scoil Náisiúinta Naomh Cianain supports the parents plea for traffic calming measures.

“The issue of safety is a huge concern for the pupils, parents and staff of Scoil Náisiúinta Naomh Cianain,” he said.

“The volume and speed of traffic has increased over the last number of years.

“There also seems to be an increase in the number of HGVs using the road. Drop-offs and pick-ups have become a nightmare for parents, guardians and childminders due to poor traffic-calming infrastructure.

“The previous principal asked Meath Co Council to look into the matter of safety around our school but it seems little or nothing was done.

“The road signage/markings are in need of upgrading. There are very large potholes which need to be repaired. We need traffic-calming infrastructure to be put in place immediately.

“It is my fear that there will be an accident or a fatality if these measures are not put in place.”