Minister hears of safety concerns on school visit

Along with Councillor Cathal King and Dáire Hughes MP, she met staff, pupils, parents and community representatives.

During the visit, pupils gave a presentation, highlighting the importance young people place on road safety in their school community

Councillor King said: “I want to sincerely thank Minister Kimmins for taking the time to visit St. Moninna’s Primary School and to see first-hand the very real challenges facing pupils, parents and staff every day.

“This is a busy stretch of road with increasing traffic volumes, and the safety concerns are both genuine and urgent.”

The Newry councillor explained the school is located on a heavily-used road, with housing developments on both sides and a new 200-home development planned nearby, adding further pressure to traffic levels.

“Many pupils walk or cycle to school, and rising traffic volumes continue to create serious risks for the school community,” he said.

Councillor King and Mr Hughes say they have been working closely with the school community and relevant departments to push for improvements, including traffic calming measures, safer crossing points and reduced speeds.

“During the visit, we discussed practical measures to slow traffic and make the school environment safer for pupils, staff and parents alike,” they said.

"Today was about listening to the school community and identifying solutions that will make a real difference.”

Councillor King said the visit feeds directly into Minister Kimmins’ ongoing review of speed limits, whereby the Minister is considering the introduction of permanent 20mph zones outside schools, a key step in extending the part-time zones currently in place and creating safer, more child-friendly communities.

He concluded: “We will keep pushing until the necessary measures are in place to ensure pupils can travel to and from school safely.”