By Kate Heaney
THE return to schools in Letterkenny this week, particularly around the Convent Road area, saw massive traffic issues at drop-off and collection times.
Between the four nearby schools there are well in excess of 3,000 pupils, teachers and assistants entering and exiting the area during a narrow time window each weekday.
Widened footpaths for student safety and the lack of parking spaces outside Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, Scoil Cholmcille National School, St Eunan’s College and Loreto Secondary School have been blamed for the traffic problems.
Carriageways have been narrowed to create new one-way systems, all part of the introduction of an Active Travel Programme to encourage more students and parents to walk or cycle to school.
Roadworks on the lower part of the Back Road (also called Convent Road) have compounded the problem this week with traffic being slowed between drop off and pick up-times daily.
The knock on effect is traffic on other town routes is also backed up.
One of the many bus company owners servicing these schools, Cathal McGettigan, has described the current situation as “a disaster”.
“Now that they have expanded the footpath out to the middle of the road you only have room for two lanes of traffic where three is needed and there is no bus parking,” he said.
“It makes it very dangerous. The footpath is ten to twelve feet out for the pedestrians safety. There is not a lot the traffic wardens, who were there at the start of the week, can do.
“In my opinion they came out too far with the footpaths. It’s not O’Connell Street in Dublin, it is only down the Back Road,” Mr McGettigan said.
He added that with the children all on the footpath, a barrier could have kept them from flowing out onto the road.
Principal at Loreto Secondary School Gerardine Mullen told the Donegal News this week that she contacted Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly about the situation as she believes there are serious risks to the children as things are.
“I am looking through my window here in the school and there are three buses moving very slowly,” she said.
“It is an accident waiting to happen with children moving around. One day last week I parked at the back and could not see what was coming up the Back Road when trying to get out onto the road.
“How many children or parents are going to be cycling up the Back Road?” she added.
Ms Mullen said she was not consulted about any of the changes, nor as far as she knew was St Eunan’s Principal Mr Damien McCrory.
“You would think in an area where there is nothing but schools they would have spoken to us. I was here until the Leaving Cart finished in July. On Monday, August 26 two very nice gentlemen in hard hats and hi-vis were looking to talk to me about it!”
Scoil Mhuire gan Smál Principal Alma Kavanagh is concerned for the safety of pupils because of the current congestion.
“The one-way system forces parents to come in via Ard O’Donnell or down from the college. There is nowhere to park so some parents are sitting in the middle of the road and beep and the child runs out to the vehicle.
“We have the area well covered with staff supervising their arrival and exit. We are all for sustainable travel but the roads are already very congested,” Ms Kavanagh said.
Short time span
Principal of Scoil Cholmcille NS Paraig Cannon praised the great work being done by the school’s Lollipop Lady, who was very busy on Wednesday afternoon guiding children safely across the road.
“It is exceptionally busy for five to ten minutes as students arrive and leave, however, even with the road works it does return to normal quite quickly.
“I think expanding the pavement is to encourage more walking and biking to school. There is to be a bus system taking residents from their areas to the town, with it expected to be finished by 2025.
“There is chaos with the ongoing works. It is the sheer volume of traffic. If people can just be patient for five to ten minutes. The parents are patient.
“The traffic wardens earlier in the week were trying to reserve the bays for the buses. We have encouraged parents to use the Cathedral Car Park and walk up,” he added.
Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly told the Donegal News on Wednesday that he has been assured by Roads Design in the Council that once completed the traffic flow will improve.
“They have told me there will be traffic congestion until it is finished and while work continues they will do their best to make it work smoothly at drop off and pick up times,” he said.
He has been told the project is due for completion by the end of the year.
“When completed, even though that area sees a lot of traffic, it will be safer. I did have concerns in relation to parking spaces and bus drops, but Road Design are happy with the surveys they carried out that there will be room for everyone,” Cllr Kelly said.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)