Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In some cases, our national and secondary schools were built 100 years ago or more. New schools are now being built with plenty of room for teachers to park. The vast majority of our schools, however, are high risk areas for accidents. I have taken photographs outside a national school in County Kildare where they had four or five signs on either side of the school, including flashing lights, 20 km/h speed limit signs, and children holding hands. Nonetheless, it did not succeed in slowing down traffic at the school.

Children are deposited there in the morning and collected in the evening by parents or public transport. I have interviewed a teacher in the school concerned. The only solution was when they put speed bumps on either side of the school, and one in the centre. That was after a lot of money had been spent both by the local authority and the local people who were concerned for the safety of their children.

I strongly believe that we should consider the phased installation of speed bumps at all primary schools throughout the country, thus eliminating the daily risk morning and evening. As I said, four or five signs were erected at that particular school but to no avail. We cannot expect the authorities to monitor and enforce speed limits outside our schools, but a serious accident is waiting to happen. Children are alighting from buses and crossing a road with traffic.

Does Ms Murdock think the phased installation of speed bumps at all primary schools would be a solution? If that was enforced, it would certainly eliminate a high risk area.