Council to investigate new road crossing at busy Limerick school junction

COUNCIL is to examine the possibility of installing zebra crossings outside St Michael's National School in Limerick city centre

At this month's metropolitan district meeting, Social Democrats councillor Elisa O'Donovan saw a notice of motion passed calling for the road safety measures to be introduced to benefit children at the national school, and people visiting the People's Park, which has an entrance point next door.

The City West member said the request for a crossing at the corner of Pery Square and Barrington Street was coming directly from parents and residents of the area.

She was initially told in a written response by senior council engineer Hugh McGrath that this measure would only be considered after the local authority's planned "table-top junction improvement" at the Mallow Street-Pery Square junction had finished.

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He said a crossing as she suggested would then first need a feasibility study, and would be considered subject to the availability of funding.

The reply sparked anger across the council chamber - and among members taking part virtually - with former mayor Daniel Butler describing it as "frankly insulting".

"It's a very fair request for a crossing for children at a school in the city centre who want to walk to school, rather than have their parents drive. Yet we cannot give them a simple crossing. It's madness, it's infuriating, we need to do better," he said.

Metropolitan district leader Cllr Olivia O'Sullivan said: "It's hard to understand why we are sitting here debating why we should have a safe crossing at a school. It seems it should be a natural priority."

Cllr Sarah Kiely added: "I don't think we should even have to be bringing a motion up at council to ask for a pedestrian crossing near a school."

Council official Mike Richardson said: "Maybe we misread the motion. We'll go back and do a feasibility study and get a survey done. We'll see if a pedestrian crossing is required in the area."