Concern Cloonakilla NS safety works 'don't go far enough'

A design proposal for long-awaited road safety improvements at Cloonakilla National School in Bealnamulla was presented to councillors recently, and though some aspects of the plan have been welcomed, there is concern that it doesn't go far enough.

The interim design proposal, which was presented at the October meeting of Roscommon County Council's Athlone Municipal District, is understood to include a pedestrian crossing, a footpath extension, and a mini-roundabout at the junction between the R362 outside the school and the L2025 (Taughmaconnell Road).

However, some local councillors are unhappy that the proposal does not include a footpath extension from Cloonakilla NS to the soccer pitch at Bealnamulla, meaning the current practice of children needing to taken by bus, just a couple of hundred yards, in order to play on the pitch would not be resolved.

Cllr Tony Ward said some of the proposed works were welcome, but the plan was "a long way off" the kind of improvement he sees as necessary outside the school.

"At the moment, what they're going to do is extend the footpath towards Bannon's (service station), put in a pedestrian crossing, and put in a kind of mini-roundabout on the Taughmaconnell Road.

"What I'd like to see is funding for the blacktop (resurfacing) of the road all the way out from the council depot in Monksland to that junction, and put in a proper roundabout and footpaths."

He added that the bussing of children to the soccer pitch, in the absence of a footpath, was an ongoing problem. Cllr Ward said he wanted to see a footpath, a cycle lane, and an extension of the public lighting along that section of the R362.

"That's not going to happen (in the short-term) but it's an issue I have raised many times and I'll be pushing for that work to be done," he said.

"Outside (Woodview) pitch and putt, the surface of the road is very poor and the council have assured me that they're going to do something with that on a temporary basis.

"But there's a lot more work I've outlined that needs to be done. You're talking about a project that would cost a couple of million, and I'll keep pushing for that."

A safety audit and other statutory processes need to be completed in relation to the interim design proposal which was put before the councillors in October.

It's expected that a part 8 planning process for the project will then be brought before the councillors for approval at an upcoming meeting.