Parents' plea for pupils as they warn that traffic chaos near school in Castletownsend is 'an accident waiting to happen' | The Southern Star

THERE have been calls to improve safety measures on a main road outside Castletownshend National School.

Parents warned an accident is waiting to happen on the R596 outside the school, where 91 pupils are enrolled.

Around half of the pupils get dropped off by school bus, and the other half by car with the school sharing a car park with St Barrahane's Church across the road.

Parents are concerned that their children are getting off the school bus directly on the roadside, with no physical barrier between them and passing traffic.

For those getting dropped off by car, children and families must regularly cross the road between the school and the church car park where there is no pedestrian crossing.

Parents are urging Cork County Council to put in place speed feedback displays or narrow the road to slow traffic down at peak times.

'As a school principal myself, I am very much aware of the dangers outside every school in the country at drop-off and collection times,' said Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG).

'The Safe Routes to School Scheme is fantastic but I hope we can do something in the interim to help schools on busy roads when they ask for it.'

A Cork County Council official said the school was situated on the R596, which has a default speed limit of 80kmph.

But they said a reduced limit of 50kmph applies on 200m either side of the school and there are school ahead warning signs and road markings.

The official added: 'The school has a lay-by for drop-offs. The measures requested in the motion are in place.'

Cllr McCarthy suggested speed ramps and reduced speed limits for Union Hall village where he said speeding was a major issue.

'It is an issue in the village itself and also in the area from the church down to the village where we have the newly-refurbished playground and the Black Field,' he said. The motion received support from Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind Ire) and Cllr Isobel Towse (SD) at the meeting of West Cork Municipal District.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council said the council was currently working on a new surface water drainage scheme in Union Hall.

Any new measures would not be installed until the drainage scheme was complete.