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Parents demand action over school traffic 'before it's too late'

Daniel LoganBBC News NI
Ingrid Graham A long line of traffic along a rural road. More traffic is queuing from a junction. The sky is grey. It's been raining. Ingrid Graham
Ballydown Primary School often sees serious traffic congestion at drop-off and pick-up times

Parents at a rural primary school have said the school's proximity to a busy road is a "ticking time-bomb".

Ingrid Graham said she has pleaded with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to put in crash barriers or reduce speed limits on surrounding roads "before it's too late".

Ballydown Primary School in Banbridge, County Down, sits between two roads, with the junction becoming gridlocked at drop-off and pick-up times. This congestion has led to some potentially dangerous driving, parents said, including overtaking.

DfI officials said they were aware of congestion during drop-off and pick-up, which was "unfortunately common", and the minister was planning to visit the school soon.

Parents have been speaking to BBC News NI ahead of a meeting with local politicians at the school later on Wednesday.

'Asking for drivers to have a little consideration'

Lynn Wortley A woman with long blonde hair is smiling. She is wearing a black jacket and has a watch on her left wrist.Lynn Wortley
Parent Ingrid Graham has two children at the school

Both roads that go past Ballydown school, the smaller Lisnaree Road and busier Castlewellan Road, are 60mph speed limit zones.

The latter also features a double-white line, which prohibits overtaking due to limited visibility.

Graham said speed was the main concern, but she added that the lack of parking at the school does not help as parents are forced to stop along the Castlewellan Road and other vehicles then try to overtake despite the double-white line.

Graham, who has two children at the school, said they wanted the DfI to "realise we can't wait for an accident to happen".

"You'll get congestion at any school you go to," she said.

"We appreciate this is not Belfast traffic, you're sitting there for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes.

"All we are asking is for drivers to have a little bit of consideration."

She said the playground was near the road, and a crash barrier had been donated by an ex-pupil's parent but "the DfI said no at the last hour because it didn't meet the criteria".

Google Maps A large beige single-storey brick building, with a brown roof, sits behind a low green hedge. In front of the hedge is a thin strip of grass and a black tarmac road. To the right of the building is another larger road, which runs up the side of it. Google Maps
Ballydown Primary School in Banbridge sits at a junction between two roads

Nicola Stevenson, who has two children at Ballydown, said the main issue was the school's location.

"There is a lack of space for cars coming in and out of the school, specifically at drop-off and pick-up - there is a backlog and congestion," she said.

Walking is "almost out of the question" as the Castlewellan Road has a 60mph speed limit and a "very narrow footpath".

School Traffic is congested on a rural road. A building is to the side of the road. The sky is grey. It's been raining. School
The Castlewellan Road has an unbroken, double-white line, which signifies that overtaking is not allowed due to restricted visibility

The road has no zebra crossing and only a small sign that indicates there is a school ahead, she added.

"The cars are flying past at 60mph and you have young children playing in a playground, a metre away, " she said.

"The road is too fast and something needs done before someone is killed."

Congestion is compounded by a church, a nursery school and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour attraction, according to Stevenson.

"Slow down signs, reduce speed limits within the vicinity - a lot of schools have 20mph signs outside them, we can't even get that," she added.

Brian Murphy Brian Murphy is sitting in an office. He has blond hair that's styled in the front. He's wearing a black jacket and a navy tie. A lanyard saying staff is around his neck. Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy, the school's principal, said the issue has been raised every year from when the school first opened

Brian Murphy, the school's principal, said the issue of speed was a long-standing one.

"From when the school was first constructed in 2003, it was brought up in the planning stages and the discussion has always come up that there should be speed restriction on the road passing the school," he said.

"This has been brought up every year at board of governors' meetings, from when the school first opened."

Carla Lockhart stands outside Lurgan police station. She is a middle aged woman with long, blonde hair and she is wearing a colourful, star patterned scarf. She is also wearing a black coat. She is looking at the camera with a neutral expression on her face.
Carla Lockhart said the Education Authority and DfI should come together to address the problem

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said she firmly believed there was a need for safety precautions to be put in place.

Describing the issue as a "long-running saga", she said the DfI had carried out assessments in relation to speed, volume and number of accidents at the site but it did not meet its criteria for intervention.

"We have asked for it to be reassessed," she said.

"There should be a meeting of minds with DfI and the Education Authority (EA) to say - how do we improve safety?

"If the EA and DfI came together, even re-configuring the school site potentially and then DfI were to reduce the speed and allow for a crash barrier to be put up, we could start to see real change, sensible change."