‘Every morning I worry a car will veer into them’ – Parent calls for school bus stop near scene of tragic Louth crash

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

Children waiting on school buses along the same stretch of Louth road where a fatal accident occurred are facing huge risks from oncoming traffic, a worried parent said this week.

One concerned mum, who reached out to Louth councillor, Shane McGuinness, said: “The Ardee road has always been dangerous, however, with the increase in traffic volumes in recent years the road is quite literally a death trap.”

She said the real worry for parents is the absence of a school bus stop on the stretch of road (L3168) that witnessed the worst crash on Irish roads for 15 years.

"Many local children, including my own, wait on the side of this notoriously dangerous road for the school bus. The bus arrives at 8.47. Every morning I worry a car will veer into them. The bus stopping on the road is in itself a hazard to traffic coming around the bend from the N52.

“Winter mornings are especially worrying as it is dark. In the absence of street lighting and many children in black Marist school jackets, there is an alarming high risk of death or injury from an RTA.

“Needless to say the recent loss of five young lives on this road underlines the stark reality to us, the residents who use this road daily.

“Decisive action” is needed to prevent another accident occurring on this road, she said.

"Sadly, response action is always too late. In the interests of all using this road, especially our children standing on the verge waiting for the school bus and again crossing off the bus in the evenings, please act now so no other family in the future has to suffer tragic injury/loss on Ardee Road, L3168.”

Cllr. McGuiness raised the concerns of parents at the November meeting of Louth County Council.

“I have had numerous complaints about the amount of children waiting at some seriously dangerous junctions on dark mornings where buses stop to pick them up,” he said.

“With so much traffic congestion on this road now, I feel that a bus route is badly needed from the Haggardstown area where over 1500 houses are, and there isn’t a single bus route for anyone to get to Dundalk town. If the residents want to walk to the Dublin Road with their children, the walk could be 20 minutes and when buses come along, they are often full.

“I have other parents who have purchased bus tickets for their children who cannot even get a seat on the school bus as they are full. I am working with Senators on this, but we as a council surely have a duty of care in some way to these children.

“Again, the traffic problems we now face in Dundalk could be eased slightly if we looked at our public transport and school transport in some way,” said Cllr. McGuinness.

David Hanratty, Director of Service, Louth County Council told the meeting that the Ardee Road is a rural road, and lighting is not installed on rural routes.

He said the concerns about school buses should be raised directly with Bus Eireann, adding that if the school bus scheme do contact the council with any requests or suggestions, they would be open to providing assistance where possible.