MLA calls for pedestrian crossing at St Mary's CBGS

WEST Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll has criticised the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) for refusing to install a pedestrian crossing at an entrance to a local school.

The People Before Profit representative wrote to the department after parents raised concerns about the lack of a safe crossing at the back entrance to St Mary's CBGS on the Upper Springfield Road. 

The secondary gate is used by hundreds of pupils from the Upper Springfield and Hannahstown areas as they travel to and from school. 

In a written response to Mr Carroll, a government official stated that DfI had erected 'School' signs and 'SLOW' road markings in March 2020 "to increase the awareness of the presence of school children" at the entrance.

The department further stated that Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon had committed funding to introduce 20mph limits at 103 schools in the current budget, but that further rollout has been limited by "restricted budgets". 

St Mary's CBGS has not been included in delivery of the programme – which has been further limited to 100 schools -– but may be "considered for inclusion" in future. 

Mr Carroll said the the department must give a "firm commitment" to "ensure the safety of pupils" at the school.

“Addressing this issue should really be an exercise in common sense, but the department seems intent on dragging its heels,” he said.

“We have a school gate that leads onto an extremely busy road with no pedestrian crossing. The dangers that poses are fairly obvious, so the Infrastructure Minister and her officials really need to stop paying lip service to the concerns of the school community. What we need is a firm commitment that they will install a pedestrian crossing to ensure the safety of both pupils and residents in the immediate area.

“The continued claims about restricted budgets really don’t wash in the face of this area’s worryingly high road casualty figures. The department really needs to decide if it can afford to put a price on the lives of our young people. We don’t want any more fatalities caused by austerity budgets.”