Safety concerns in Ballycanew village

By Dan Walsh at Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council meeting

Five talented schoolchildren from St. Enda’s National School, Ballycanew, supported by the Principal Seamus Dempsey appeared before public representatives of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council at the monthly meeting held in the Council Chamber at Civic Centre on Tuesday where they made a sincere and well researched plea for better safety measures outside the school.

Mr Dempsey told the meeting that there are 240 children in the school from Ballycanew, Kilmuckridge, Craanford and Monamolin areas, and 160 families are dropping off their children every day. “There is gridlock sometimes, we are like the village that time forgot, but we want to make our village safer for children to come to school,” stated Mr. Dempsey.

The children publicised a local survey which focussed on the busy R741 Gorey to Ballycanew road that is approached by a long straight from the Gorey side which causes speeding from some drivers and sometimes irresponsible road users neglect the 50km/h speed limits through the village and ignore the traffic lights on the pedestrian crossing outside the school entrance.

Council members were supportive and promised active action on the matter and Cllr Diarmuid Devereux pointed out that four elected members in the room on the Special Projects Committee on transport so they should be able to do something positive for Ballycanew and its future safety.

Cllr Mary Farrell was critical of “driver behaviour” but felt that the safety of children is paramount. Cllr Andrew Bolger hoped to “make it a better place to live and make the school a safer place. Cllr Anthony Donohoe said he had heard all ‘the usual clichés’ and urged the Council to “prioritise” the Ballycanew traffic chaos. “There is an accident waiting to happen here, so let’s take action,” stated Cllr Donohoe.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Pip Breen thanked the children and their principal for the brilliant presentation while Cllr Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin concluded that it was “the best presentation he had ever seen in this chamber”