Concerns over Derrywash NS road safety

Concerns over Derrywash NS road safety


Edwin McGreal

The principal of Derrywash National School, outside Castlebar, has requested that Mayo County Council take action before there is a serious accident outside the school.
Aishling McDonnell, the Acting Principal in the school, has written to Cllr Michael Kilcoyne about the issue and it is due to be discussed by Castlebar Municipal District councillors at their monthly meeting this Thursday.
“We as a staff, Board of Management and Parent’s Association have serious concerns with regard to road safety outside our school. In the past there have been a number of ‘near misses’ and we have concerns that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt, or worse,” wrote Ms McDonnell.
The road in question links the Ballinrobe road and the Westport road, some two miles south of Castlebar and while not a main road, is busy with traffic as it is a useful link road. The speed limit on the road is 80 kilometres per hour.
The road around the school was previously quite narrow and there were calls for its widening. However, now that it has been widened, the speed of passing traffic outside the school has increased.
“This (widening of the road) has resulted in an increase in speed and lack of caution by drivers passing the school. We feel there is a great need to implement some form of traffic calming measures to draw drivers’ attention to the school and also possibly to reduce the speed limit outside the school, as has been done in other areas,” said Aishling McDonnell.