Road safety concerns at Derry primary school

Concern has been expressed about road safety at a Derry primary school outside of which a 20 mile an hour speed limit became operational yesterday.

St Paul's Primary School on Moss Road in the Galliagh area of the city was one of four schools in the city where the new speed restrictions have been introduced – the others being outside Culmore Primary School in  Culmore on the main Derry to Moville road,  Ebrington Primary School and Foyle College, both  on Limavady Road in the Waterside.

The measure is also due to be implemented outside Model Primary School on the Northland Road.
While he welcomed the reduced speed limit, Gareth Blackery, principal of St Paul's, said 'major safety issues' remained.

Speaking to the Derry News, he said: “The issue we have at our school is the long, straight road which the school is on."

“We need traffic calming measures to slow the traffic down and space for parents to park safely off the road, which are still major problems."

Revealing he had expressed his concerns to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), Mr Blackery added: “The 20mph signs are brilliant but it is the long, straight road that is the concern.”

Mr Blackery added: “I requested speed bumps about four years ago and they put them in, but they are well spaced out and cars have the opportunity to speed up between them, so they are not really slowing the traffic down."

“We welcome the 20mph limit and hope people will take cognisance and drive at 20mph.”

Mr Blackery concluded: “It is a long, straight road and cars do speed up on it and we are concerned.”

Sinn Fein councillor for the area, Sandra Duffy, said as a party Sinn Fein had been campaigning for a number of years for safety measures outside St Paul's.

She added: “We recognise this as a serious road safety issue and my party colleague, Aileen Mellon, brought a motion to council earlier this year calling for statutory partners to work together on these issues.”

Councillor Duffy concluded: "This is a busy road servicing a popular school, solutions must be found.”
A DfI spokesperson said Minister Nichola Mallon was committed to the delivery of part-time speed limits for 103 schools at 90 sites across Northern Ireland.

The spokesperson added: “Children, parents and teachers in every part of the North will see positive, practical changes to limit vehicles speeding on the roads around their schools. In relation to the lights/signage currently in place at these schools, three of the four are operational and the fourth will go into operation early next week." 

“Each school site has pre-set time periods programmed so that the speed limit warning lights will automatically activate at school set-down and school pick-up times. Some schools may also have a lunch time period programmed for the lights to activate."

 “The Minister has also been clear that she is committed to future programmes so that many more schools will have a 20mph speed limit on the roads outside their gates. Departmental officials have been in contact with the principal at St Paul’s Primary School regarding road safety issues and will continue to work in partnership with the school and other departments to assist. The Department can also confirm that speed cushions are already in place on the road.”