Daly welcomes decision to progress safety measures at St Cynoc's NS

FIANNA Fáil Local Election candidate Barbara Daly has welcomed Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s indication that they “would be happy to support any measures that would complement an NTA ‘Safe Routes to School’ scheme” at St Cynoc’s NS, Ferbane located on the N62.

Daly was updated on progress by Cllr Eamon Dooley, who has been liaising with Board of Management and the School Principal over an extended period of time to find a resolution to safety issues for children entering and leaving the school. Cllr Dooley had been advised in 2023 by Offaly County Council that the footpath width at the location is insufficient to meet the requirements for safe installation of additional barriers to the front of the school.

Cllr Dooley and Barbara Daly attended a meeting of the Board of Management at the beginning of this year to update the Board on the situation. The school is located adjacent to a residential area of the town. Efforts to resolve the issues at the school without impeding other pedestrians or impacting accessibility for wheelchair users of the path were also outlined.

Following recent speculation on social media that a barrier would be erected, at Daly’s request the County Council have again clarified that “there are no plans to install additional barrier on the path in front of Saint Cynoc’s”. Cllr Dooley requested that an urgent meeting with the TII Safety Officer be had and the site examined by the Council’s Active Travel Team to consider the option of including the school on the NTA’s ‘Safe Routes to School’ programme.

TII have now indicated that they “would be happy to support any measures that would complement an NTA ‘Safe Routes to School’ scheme at the location. Offaly County Council will carry out traffic surveys at the school and develop a proposal in consultation with the school for submission to the NTA.”

Welcoming this development Daly said that “We need to keep children safe going to and from school. This is a priority” . Traffic at the school during drop-off and pick-up times presents a safety hazard for school children. However, available footpath width at present doesn’t allow for erection of a safety barrier, and the needs of other pedestrians also have to be considered. I welcome the decision of Offaly County Council to work with the school in developing a proposal for submission to the NTA. The support of TII is essential to the resolution of this urgent safety issue. If elected, I will continue to liaise with the School Principal and Board of Management on delivering a long-term solution”.