Concerned principal in appeal for speeding calming at school

Concerned principal in appeal for speeding calming at school

25 November 2020

ROADS officials have been asked to prioritise the provision of a new 20mph zone outside St Joseph’s Primary School in Strangford.

The appeal has been issued ahead of a special meeting next week between local politicians and senior Department for Infrastructure engineers to discuss their ongoing programme of work across the district.

While there are plans to provide 20mph zone limits outside five local primary schools, Downpatrick area councillor Cadogan Enright is concerned that there are no plans for one outside St Joseph’s Primary School, despite the fact that its entrance is located on the main road into Strangford.

His concern is shared by school principal, Laura Fitzsimons, who witnessed a near miss involving a pupil when a vehicle sped past en route to the ferry.

Cllr Enright said while he is pleased with the success of a long campaign for 20mph speed limits to be introduced 

outside rural schools to protect children, he is disappointed that an assurance that the Strangford school would be included in the scheme has not been honoured.

Schools which have been included in the roads department initiative include St Mary’s in Dunsford, St Patrick’s in Legamaddy, St Joseph’s in Crossgar, Christ The King in Drumaness and Derryboy Primary School. 

Cllr Enright said while other schools across the Newry, Mourne and Down area also feature in the safety scheme, Strangford has missed out.

“When the 20mph policy was first mooted five years ago, it started with a pilot in Ballynahinch with roads officials promising myself and then St Joseph’s Primary principal Gerry Conlon that the school was next in line,” revealed Cllr Enright.

“Gerry and I were concerned at the impact of ferry traffic after we lost the crossing patrolwoman with the provision of a 20mph zone the Roads Service’s answer at the time. Now we find that St Joseph’s is not on the list of schemes.”

Cllr Enright said no other school has to cope with traffic speeding at regular periods during the day as drivers rush through the village to make the ferry crossing.

“St Joseph’s Primary is located in a 30mph zone, but roads officials have forgotten the effect of their own department’s ferry service on traffic in the village,” he added.

Thanking Cllr Enright for his continued support in the school’s “prolonged and protracted drive to ensure the health and safety of all children and staff”, Mrs Fitzsimons said the speeding issue has been a long term concern for herself and previous principals.

She also warned “there is an accident waiting to happen” outside the school gates unless remedial action is taken immediately to calm the speed of traffic passing through Strangford.

In a letter to Cllr Enright, Mrs Fitzsimons said she witnessed a near miss, when a child stepped onto the road outside the school as a car “whizzed past”.

She continued: “Traffic ‘racing’ for the ferry boat is not a new issue for residents of the village. The fact that the school gates open out onto the main Downpatrick Road is a cause of serious angst for myself and parents of children attending our school.

“In recent times, this angst has been exasperated by the uncertain schedules of ferry departure times and volume has increased when times are compressed. These compressed times happen to coincide with our opening and closing times and the increased volume of traffic generated by this is visibly noticeable.”

Mrs Fitzsimons said residents and parents who park outside the school entrance create a “serious blind spot” for incoming traffic and that often, drivers who perceive that they may be slightly late for the scheduled ferry departure “are visibly driving above the speed limit”.

The principal said that, like her predecessors, she has campaigned tirelessly to have “something, anything, done to counter the real risk to the health and safety of children these speeding cars pose”.

Mrs Fitzsimons also revealed that since the departure of the school’s crossing patrolwoman a number of years ago, staff members regularly put their own health and safety at risk to stand in the middle of the busy road to help children cross safely “often to the verbal disquiet of impatient commuters”.

She said while there have been various and welcome initiatives in the past to address the speeding issue in the village, she believes that the only effective solution will be the introduction of a 20mph speed limit.