Skyrne school’s ‘Slow Down’ day to highlight safety fears

The urgent need for improved safety measures outside Scoil Cholmcille, Skyrne was highlighted by pupils who held a 'Slow Down' morning at the school last Thursday.

The campaign was led by the school's green school committee and supported by parents, staff and the board of management who say the safety measures at the school are not working and in particular they are highlighting issues around cars failing to stop at the zebra crossing.

Armed with posters and high vis jackets, the green school committee and older children campaigned outside the school on Thursday morning to create awareness among drivers that they are passing a school and to urge them to slow down and obey the zebra crossing.

There are 215 children in the school and with a large car park to serve the school located across the road, the zebra crossing is regularly used both at drop off and collection times and also during the day as pupils cross to use the hall or the church.

Chairperson of the parents association, Edel Walsh said: “We were there to highlight safety issues particularly around the zebra crossing at the school. There are a number of issues. One is cars are failing to stop at the zebra crossing when children are attempting to cross.

“We have had numerous incidents and unfortunately near misses and it has got to the stage that the parents association and board of management and principal are in agreement that what is there in terms of measures to stop cars or to slow traffic down isn't effective and is not working.”

Edel said they had been engaging with Meath Co Council and local councillors as well as Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne Gardai. Gardai did speed checks on Thursday morning and Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee and local councillors Suzanne Jamal and Helen Meyer also visited the school.

“We are hopeful that further measures will be put in place, whether that be a lollipop person, whether that be traffic lights, we are open to any further measures that will slow traffic down and in particular something needs to be put in place that will force cars to stop at the crossing.”

Edel said they can no longer continue with the 'Walk on Wednesday' initiative, which is part of the Green Schools programme.

“We have had to put that on hold. We can't promote it. We just feel it's just not safe and the green committee has organised this campaign instead.

“The idea is to create awareness of the issue. A lot of the traffic on that road is local, even if we can encourage truck drivers or people that use that road on a daily basis to slow down and take note there is a school, take note children are crossing, then that is a positive thing.”

Principal Tom Brennan said the school is located on a busy road that is used regularly as a link between the N2 and the N3 and a lot of heavy goods vehicles and agricultural machinery use the road.

He told how there are issues where some cars just drive through the crossing, others will slow down and stop but the car behind overtakes, and some will stop but once the child is half way across, they continue on and he said another child could be coming from the other side.

Mr Brennan wants to see something done that will enforce a stop.

“We are trying to engage with the council to figure out what can be done. We are trying to work them because what is there, even though a lot of money was invested previously, isn't really working well anymore. We are looking at enforcing a stop in some way, be that traffic lights or a lollipop person.”

“We have had a lot of near misses, a lot of incidents reported to us this year. We are back to pre-pandemic levels of traffic, we have had near misses where people have got a fright with the nature of the road, speed is an issue in some cases as well.”