Safety fears sparked by high speed limits near schools

PARENTS and teachers have expressed anger about children’s lives being put at risk by slow action from city and county councils to reduce speed limits outside schools.

Although metric limits come into operation on the country’s roads from this morning, councils have been allowed longer periods to review speeds at which traffic can travel around schools and other high risk areas.

This has left dozens of schools attended by children as young as four and five separated just by walls and gates from vehicles travelling at up to 62mph. However, under legislation to amend limits from miles per hour to kilometres per hour, councils are empowered to reduce them to as low as 30kph (19mph) in places.

The National Parents Council (Post Primary) called for the situation to be rectified as soon as possible and for motorists to use caution and common sense in such zones.

“We understand that the system has to come in and mistakes will be made. But inappropriately high speed signs near schools are unacceptable,” a council spokesman said.

Junior Transport Minister Ivor Callely called on local authorities to immediately replace such signs with ones suitable for the area.

“It’s contradictory and it shouldn’t have happened. Wherever the fault lies, it does not lie with my department,” he said.

He said the Department of Transport gave ample notification to all local authorities to review their local speed zones, and he promised that inappropriate signs could be replaced within 12 weeks.

Local authorities have erected 58,000 metric speed and distance signs across the country for the metric changeover.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said it is extremely concerned that the low speed restrictions have not been implemented outside schools.

“Lives will be in danger unless urgent action is taken by local authorities to rectify this situation,” said INTO general secretary John Carr.

“A golden opportunity has been missed to ensure children’s safety is put first. Local authorities must ensure that it is paramount,” he said.

In the meantime, Mr Carr said, drivers should slow down around schools until local authorities have changed the speed limits near schools.