Pupils and parents protesting at lack of school warden to cause traffic chaos in Cork 

Parents and children to spend 20 minutes every school morning walking back and forth across the pedestrian crossing outside the school gate amid concerns over cars driving through as children cross

The pedestrian crossing on Grattan St outside the Educate Together National School. There have been several near misses between children and vehicles on the pedestrian crossing, with motorists driving through as children cross. Picture: Larry Cummins.

A Cork City school denied a school warden has asked the Ombudsman for Children to intervene as it announces plans for protests which could cause gridlock.

The board of management of the Cork Educate Together NS on Grattan St has written to the Ombudsman’s office requesting an investigation into why its request for a school warden was rejected in the context of a policy which reserves warden assessments for schools which already have a warden.

In the meantime, the board is planning physical protests outside the school.

“The board of management does not want to embark on this course but feel we are left with little choice if we are to secure the health and safety of our community,” it said.

The board has sanctioned a form of protest, to start on May 16, which will involve parents and children spending 20 minutes every school morning, between 8.30am and 8.50am, walking back and forth across the pedestrian crossing outside the school gate.

“This will be done in silence to reflect the fact that all communication and dialogue has been exhausted at that point,” it said.

The protest has the potential to cause gridlock during morning rush hour on the strategic city artery.

The 210-pupil school, established in 1987, has been campaigning since its foundation for enhanced safety measures on the road.

Traffic volumes on Grattan St increased significantly following the resurfacing of the road in 2014 and the rerouting of a lot of city centre traffic as part of the City Centre Movement Strategy along the street in preparation for the controversial introduction of time-regulated bus lanes on St Patrick’s Street in early 2018.

The school applied in 2020 for a school warden but was told policy dictates such safety assessments are reserved for schools which already have wardens.

Following a council assessment last year, some minor safety improvements were carried out on the pedestrian crossing but concerns remain.

Several near misses

There have been several near misses between children and vehicles on the pedestrian crossing, with motorists driving through as children cross.

The school is now recording those incidents and reporting them daily to gardaí at the Bridewell Garda Station to ensure they are recorded on the Pulse system.

School principal Maura O’Riordan, who has been teaching at the school for 20 years, said there have always been road safety concerns outside the school gate, but they have intensified in recent years.

She said some children have felt the breeze of cars speeding past them, while just last week, one child narrowly escaped being knocked down by a reversing car.

“The protest has been organised because all communication channels have been exhausted,” she said.

“This is a living, breathing city community. We want families moving in, we want children to be raised in this area.

We don’t want action in response to someone being hurt or killed. Then, it will be too late. But we are not giving up.” 

 A €50,000 proposal to build out the footpath in a bid to slow traffic was prepared for councillors’ consideration last November but funding has not yet been approved.