Road safety a key theme as 'Junior Mayors' address local councillors

Student representatives from six schools in the Athlone Moate Municipal District made presentations to local councillors on issues of concern in their local areas last week.

The presentations took place at a special meeting held in Athlone Civic Centre. This was organised as part of Cllr Frankie Keena's 'Junior Mayor' initiative, which aims to give local children a voice on matters of concern to them.

Junior Mayor representatives from Athlone Community College, St Mary's National School, Ardnagrath National School, St Oliver Plunkett's Boys National School in Moate, Baylin National School and Milltown National School addressed elected councillors and local authority management at the event.

While they outlined a variety of concerns on the day, several students placed a sharp focus on road safety and congestion concerns.

Representing Athlone Community College, Niamh O'Reilly spoke of the daily challenge faced by students in crossing Retreat Road, given the heavy volume of traffic using the route.

"This is an extremely busy road and there have been many occasions where accidents have been just avoided as students cross the road going to and from the school," Niamh said. With three secondary schools located in close proximity, she said she would like to see a pedestrian crossing installed on the road as a matter of safety priority for students.

Baylin National School representative, Muireann Kenneally, expressed her concerns with traffic and travel in the District, referencing increased road congestion in the locality.

With vehicle volumes rising on the main arterial routes into Athlone, Muireann said a "very early start" was required the reach your destination and "not to be sitting in traffic".

"If you are using the road which passes Ericsson, a one kilometre journey can sometimes take 20 minutes," Muireann said, adding that this was "a major frustration" for those using this route.

Muireann also said that those stuck in traffic were "under pressure" time-wise and may then drive quicker, making the roads "less safe" for cyclists and pedestrians.

To remedy the situation, she suggested an increase in public transport hubs at designated locations within the town.

"We are lucky to have a great public bus service in Athlone, but the areas covered need to be increased greatly, especially at peak travel times. The improvement of this service is a key factor to dealing with our congestion issues. Remember the future starts today, not tomorrow," Muireann said.

St Mary's NS Junior Mayor Ishan Sachin, along with his colleagues Mera Gaballa, Nikodina Mikac and Smit Deulekar, followed a similar theme when addressing the council chamber, emphasising the importance of active travel in Athlone.

The quartet stated that, if there were more cycle lanes in the town, it would encourage more students to avail of bicycle transport to school. Noting that St Mary's NS placed a focus on active travel, the students said there were numerous benefits from cycling and walking to school as opposed to using a car.

"Active travel promotes better physical and mental health and also helps reduce stress," the students said.

The St Mary's NS students said active travel measures reduce traffic volumes in town leading to greater road safety and a reduction in cars "blocking the school gates". It also allowed students to take "more responsibility" on their way to school.

Ishan and his school colleagues suggested that the council provide designated active travel zones in Athlone which would increase road safety. They also called for the provision of more bicycle stands in their their school grounds.

"These are small steps towards a bigger change for our health, safety and the future," they said.