No funding source in place yet for safety measures at Cloonakilla NS

Funding for the provision of a long-awaited roundabout and pedestrian crossing at Cloonakilla NS in South Roscommon has not yet been put in place despite the fact that councillors have signed off on the project.

At their December meeting, members of Athlone Municipal District of Roscommon County Council approved the scheme which is designed to alleviate safety issues outside the school that have been flagged by local councillors for many years.

The proposed works will see the provision of a pedestrian crossing on the old Tuam road, the R362, and a new roundabout at the junction where the Taughmaconnell road, the L2025, meets the R362. The area experiences very high traffic volumes, particularly during peak times when children are being dropped to, and collected from, Cloonakilla school.

Speaking in the wake of the revelation by Senior Executive Engineer, John Mockler, at the District meeting that there is no funding currently in place for the proposed safety measures, Cathaoirleach of Athlone Municipal District and local Fine Gael Cllr, John Naughten, said “various funding streams will be looked at” over the coming months in an effort to advance the project.

While no costings were put before the meeting, Cllr Naughten said it is “a substantial project” and a number of different funding streams will have to be looked at, such as Active Travel and the roads programme.

“Progress on the project at Cloonakilla is subject to funding, but we would be hoping that work can start in the summer of 2023,” said Cllr Naughten, who added that it is “still unclear” whether the safety measure will be fully in place for the start of the new school year in September of next year.

He said the long-standing safety issues at the South Roscommon school had been “at the top of the agenda” at every council meeting over many years and had been raised by him and his fellow counclllors at every opportunity.

Cllr Naughten said a number of submissions had been received in relation to the project and “a lot of work” remains to be done. However, he said the much-needed project “is moving in the right direction” and he welcomed the fact that councillors have now signed off on the plan to put safety measures in place at Cloonakilla.

At the December meeting of the municipal district, John Mockler said the safety measures would allow schoolchildren to walk or cycle to the local primary school in safety. He pointed out that parking on the roadside in the vicinity of the school would be prohibited and there would have to be a change of attitude from people in terms of how they travel to school, with both cycling and walking being promoted.

He called on the Parents Association and the Board of Management of Cloonakilla school to “come together” to figure out how children would travel to school once the safety measures are put in place.

Cllr John Naughten called for the provision of a school warden to be “seriously considered” as part of the overall scheme, but he was told by the Senior Executive Engineer that this was an issue which was outside the scope of the project. John Mockler also added that the provision of a school warden would have to be resourced.