Parents and teachers at Barna National School have been calling for improved pedestrian facilities for years, but the opening of a new petrol station and mini market opposite the school last month has upped the ante.
A well-advertised walking protest by 200 Barna residents outside Scoil Shéamais Naofa yesterday inspired other communities along the busy R336 Coast Road, with impromptu groups of parents, residents and school children in Furbo, An Spidéal and Inverin staging similar protests on Wednesday morning.
An estimated 700 parents, teachers and schoolchildren briefly created their own crossing points en route to schools between 8am and 9am along the major regional road, with speed limits ranging from 80kmph to 50kmph.
“The new petrol station is brilliant, but it sells icecream, and is a Mecca for children,” said a spokeswoman for Bearna Parents Association Road Safety Subcommittee, who said the decision to pursue direct action was a result of frustration with meetings with Galway County Council officials after years of inaction.
Residents are calling on the County Council to respond to dangerous road conditions with urgency, and deliver immediate, interim, and permanent measures to ensure the safety of children and pedestrians, especially between the Twelve Hotel and the school. Zebra crossings and wider pavements – where childen are not forced tp walk in single file – are key demands.
Funding allocations for zebra crossings in Co Galway announced last week include new pedestrian crossings in Oughterard (x2 ), Clifden (x2 ), Leenaun, and Letterfrack, but nothing along the R336 Coast Road which runs through several villages and towns with schools, between Galway city and Casla.
“During recent engagement with Galway County Council and elected government representatives, we were informed that funding for road safety measures remains a distant prospect and that even a temporary lollipop person is unlikely to be provided for school children to cross the road,” said a spokeswoman in Barna. “We have now reached crisis point and we are afraid for our children’s safety.”
Galway West TD Catherine Connolly (Ind ) described the situation in Barna as “intolerable”.
Connolly said she is seeking urgent clarification if Barna National School is among schools being considered for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS ) Programme, launched in March 2021. She added that she is urgently requesting a plan of action from Galway County Council, after its “failure to act has left the community with no other option but to mount a protest.”
