'Scandal' of broken traffic lights at busy Portlaoise school crossing

The pedestrian crossing serving two of the busiest Laois schools has had no working lights for at least two months, according to local residents.

A concerned resident has contacted the Leinster Express / Laois Live, over fears for children's road safety.

The crossing is the only one with controlled traffic serving Portlaoise College and Scoil Bhride NS next door, with a combined pupil population of nearly 1,700 children. It also serves the Portlaoise Institute third level college.

The resident says that the fault was reported twice to Laois County Council's traffic department in November 2024, by a parent of a Portlaoise College student.

Now well into January 2025, they say it remains in darkness.

"It is a scandal because hundreds of children are at risk when crossing main road. Looks like County Council does not care about children's safety.

"What I saw is kids leaving school trying to cross the road are very confused how to do it, because traffic is very heavy around 4pm and not all drivers are willing to stop and let them cross, so kids are sometimes stuck in the middle of the road waiting for cars to stop, one second of distraction, that is all needed for a tragedy.

"Another situation I witnessed was that boys pushed each other for fun and it was so close to passing by cars," the resident said.

Laois County Council's public lighting department has been asked for a response.