Locked gate at Portlaoise school where children face traffic dangers

A locked gate to a drop-off area in a busy Laois school is being part blamed for traffic dangers faced by children at the school.

Scoil Bhride NS in Knockmay, Portlaoise has over 800 children, but a drive-in drop off zone was shut during the pandemic and remains shut three years on. 

Laois County Council has expressed disappointment after it tried to engage with the school, with an official describing the parking area as "a white elephant".

The council is holding off on designing and applying for national funding for road safety measures, until the school engages with them about its own parking possibilities.

The multi-million modern school including the drop-off zone opened in 2018.

Council engineer Paul McLoughlin spoke about it during a motion on the issue at the September meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District.

"We're disappointed as an executive at the result of the engagement. There is a drop-off area not being used in the school. We want to maximise the money already spent. We don't want to design something and a white elephant in there not being used. We have tried the semi-formal approach, we have got more formal now," he said.

It was Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley who tabled the motion asking when the safety audit's recommendations were going to be implemented.

"The audit was done over a year ago, it came back with over 50 recommendations. The school is at capacity at 800 plus. It's a very built up area. We all know how congested the road gets. We have put in ramps and bollards. There is congestion at Hillview Drive, Parnell Crescent and Clonrooske View with people parking in the estates. 

"I was told you hoped to have funding this year, this response gives no indication. There is an area at the side, in Covid the gate was locked, I want to see flesh on the bones, and funding put aside. There have been accidents where children were hurt," she said.

New pedestrian crossing urged for Portlaoise elderly and children

In a joint council reply, Director of Services Simon Walton, area engineer Wes Wilkinson and Mr McLoughlin had stated that "in advance of preliminary designs being prepared to advance the matters highlighted in the Road Safety Impact Assessment, engagement took place with the respective schools in relation to the use and operations of the existing car parking and traffic management arrangements.

"Further engagement is required to inform the design and subsequent application for funding".