Drivers urged to be extra vigilant as children return to school

Drivers are being urged to exercise “extra vigilance” and slow down as children return to school by foot, bicycle and scooter.

Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hillman warned that there will be increased school traffic and she reminded parents not to double park or park on yellow lines, which is an offence and can create a “dangerous obstruction” around schools.

“It’s also vital that motorists reduce their speed near schools and ensure they give plenty of space when overtaking any children who might be cycling or walking to school,” she said. Drivers must obey the instructions of school wardens, who are there to protect children when crossing the road, she said.

Ms Hillman was speaking at the publication of new Road Safety Authority (RSA) guidelines that aim to help schools create a safe road environment around their premises.

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Active travel should be promoted, while parents should be discouraged from dropping children off by car, the guidelines state. Schools should also seek to minimise and slow down traffic outside the school boundary, while it should also provide safe places for children to wait within the school ground instead of on footpaths outside.

Chaotic

Each school faces its own unique road safety issues depending on its urban or rural location, said Liz O’Donnell, chair of the RSA.

“Urban is more challenging in terms of traffic coming to the school gate… It is not sustainable or safe to do that. It can create a very chaotic situation,” she said.

There has been significant disruption to the school calendar during the pandemic, and the importance of road safety around pupils needs to be highlighted once again, Ms O’Donnell said.

“The actual road environment has changed significantly in the last two years since the first lockdown,” she said.

The RSA is calling on school management to develop and implement its own safety action plan based on advice in its new publication. She said schools should “take the initiative” to apply for funding under the new Safe Routes to School programme, which aims to create better walking and cycling routes to alleviate congestion at school gates and to increase the number of pupils using active travel to get to school.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, said 170 schools have already been notified of their inclusion in the first round of funding under the scheme. Purpose-built walking and cycling facilities are being built, while in some cases there will be a “complete reworking of a school’s entrance”, Ms Naughton said, adding that the Government is investing close to €1 million per day in walking and cycling projects this year.

The RSA’s Back to School campaign encourages primary school children to wear high visibility clothing on their active commute. Primary schools can apply to the RSA for road safety packs, which will deliver a high visibility vest and reflective bag strip for all junior infant children.