'We want to keep our children safe' on ‘dangerous road’ in Mayo

Every single weekday, morning and afternoon, more than 400 children make their way to the Scoil Phádraig and Holy Trinity primary schools on the Newport Road in Westport.

It’s a busy road with many cars and vans from Newport, Kilmeena, Mulranny and Achill commuting on it to Westport.

Cars accelerating in and out of the petrol station create further traffic interactions on the busy junction.

The removal of a school traffic warden service by Mayo County Council at the start of this school year has raised concerns from the parents of the children, as well as the schools.

Without this vital safety measure in place, questions are mounting about how safe it is for parents and children to cross the busy main road outside the school.

Mayo County Council has told The Mayo News that it “is currently no longer in a position to provide a member of staff in the Westport Zone as a school traffic warden. The council is liaising with the principals of Scoil Phádraig and Holy Trinity Schools on this matter.”

Worried

Voicing the concern of many parents, the School Principal of Scoil Phádraig, Fergus Seoighe said, “we are quite worried about the pedestrian crossing at our school. Our primary concern is the safety of children crossing the road.

“In the absence of a traffic warden, it creates a serious risk for motorists, who, through no fault of their own, may not see a child who decides to run out onto the crossing when they see traffic stalled. We hope the traffic warden can be back working as soon as possible.”

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Echoing his statement, Principal of Holy Trinity National School, Orla Brickenden, says that “ultimately we all want to keep our children safe on the road.”

“Our lollipop people have provided a fantastic and vital service to Holy Trinity NS for many years. Children and parents know and respect them. They keep everyone safe at a very busy time each morning and afternoon,” she said.

“The Newport Road is a dangerous road with traffic coming from all directions. We have been in contact with Mayo County Council seeking the return of this service. The council workers who provide this service deserve our utmost respect and support,” she added.

Declan Keogh, chairperson of the Local Authority Road Safety Officers Network, spoke to The Mayo News about the crucial role school traffic wardens play in keeping children safe.

“A school traffic warden works on behalf of the Council on the road to manage students crossing roads. They are a valuable resource to the community,” Keogh said.

“They work in all kinds of weather, rain and snow. They're in all sorts of elements. And that means having an extra arm of safety on the road to allow students to cross the road. The School Warden will primarily work to cross primary school students.”

Shared responsibility

While emphasising the value of school traffic wardens, Keogh also highlighted the shared responsibility parents have when it comes to road safety.

“At the end of the day, it is up to the parents of the students to make sure that they are getting their child to school safely. A School Warden is primarily there just to assist people across the road.”

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The role of school traffic wardens is legislated under Section 96 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. Under this law, drivers must stop—and remain stopped—when a school traffic warden displays their stop sign. Failure to do so is considered an offence, carrying a fine of €160 and two penalty points.

Mayo County Council no longer employs any school traffic wardens.

In correspondence with The Mayo News, the Council stated that it “did not provide School Traffic Wardens in the Castlebar Municipal District, Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District, or the Ballina Municipal District in the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.”