Seanad debates

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

Road Safety: Statements (Resumed)

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Dominic HanniganDominic Hannigan (Labour)

I thank Senator Ryan for sharing his time with me. I want to focus my contribution on the issue of safety outside schools and, in particular, parking provisions, quarrying and construction traffic, driving standards, inadequate signage, road conditions and walking buses. I assure Senator de Búrca that the latter is not only of interest to the Green Party; it is also high on my party's agenda.

Many parents across Ireland have to drive their children to school on a daily basis. One of the biggest problems they face is finding somewhere to park. According to a survey I conducted last year of schools in my area, the lack of parking spaces present major problems. At Donore national school, for example, parents have to walk 150 metres with young children because there are no spaces directly beside the school. A new phenomenon has resulted whereby irresponsible parents pull up outside schools and let their children jump out of the cars to cross in front of traffic. They do this because they know gardaí are not enforcing the law when it comes to road safety outside schools. In addition, many schools were built 50 or 100 years ago, when car ownership was much lower and people used to walk to school, so there was no demand for parking spaces. Many of us walked to school but the new reality is that people drive to school and they need parking spaces. It is not fair to expect school boards of management to purchase land for parking from the local land owner because the issue is a national one. I would like the Departments of Education and Science and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to co-operate in developing a strategy for retrofitting parking spaces outside schools.

In many rural locations, such as Bellewstown in my area, the quarry and construction traffic which trundles past schools on a daily basis, often at high speeds, causes concern among parents. When planning permission is granted for quarries and new estates, the routes used for traffic access should be clearly stated in the conditions.

Since the advent of private testing, we have seen a difference in passing rates. The most recent report in today's The Irish Times indicates that of the 40,000 tests carried out this year, the pass rate for private test centres was 62% compared to 52% among Road Safety Authority centres. It is important that standards are applied and rates do not vary. I would like the Minister for Transport to investigate why differences exist in pass rates.

One of the biggest problems outside rural schools is road signs which are overgrown or have fallen down because they were not properly maintained. Many are located on secondary roads. Last week, the Department of Transport announced its intention to reduce expenditure on secondary roads by 13%. That has a potential impact on road safety because of the condition of road surfaces and signage. I ask the Minister to reconsider the funding for secondary roads.

Walking buses, whereby parents walk their children to school, reduces the amount of car traffic on the roads. A walking bus was established in Laytown, County Meath. They cost little to establish beyond the purchase of high visibility jackets but, rather than having them rely on donations, the Government should introduce a nationwide funding programme as a way of getting children out of cars and encouraging safety awareness. More can be done and it is important the Government prioritises this aspect of road safety.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.