Deputy Joan Burton has welcomed the news that Fingal County Council have agreed to her demand that they take steps to ensure the safety of schoolchildren from Scoil Choilm and St. Mochta’s using the Porterstown Road.

“I had been talking to numerous parents from both schools who were concerned for the safety of their children. There was a strong feeling that this was an accident waiting to happen.

“Scoil Choilm has moved to beautiful new premised on the Porterstown Road, an enormous improvement on the temporary accommodation where the school had previously been housed. In the rush to get the school installed for September, however, basic safety features had been overlooked, and the access route to the school had become a potential death-trap. It is a pity that pupils’ safety was unnecessarily put at risk, but I am glad that appropriate safety measures are now to be put in place.

“Scoil Choilm is a new school with very young children who in most cases have to be brought to the school by their parents. At present, there are no warning signs to denote the presence of a school and young children. The speed limit does not appear to have been adjusted to take into account the presence of a school. Most of the children are coming from the areas north and east of the school. The road from the northern side has a very narrow footpath and there is no road at all from the eastern side.

“The opening of Scoil Choilm had led to a huge increase in traffic along the Porterstown road at school opening and closing times. With St. Mochta’s in such close proximity, there are knock-on effects in terms of safety for children arriving at both schools.

Fingal County Council informed Deputy Burton by letter dated 3 October 2008 that they “have prepared interim proposals for a temporary pedestrian access to the school from the Diswellstown Roundabout to be constructed in advance of the main contract for the extension of the Diswellstown Road. The access will be controlled by means of lockable gates outside school hours in agreement with the owner of the land on which this facility will be located.

“Ensuring that children can attend school in a safe and secure environment must be a top priority for all involved in delivering new schools and I expect that these mistakes will not now be repeated in any future schools in Dublin 15.”