Wexford village gets €200k school safety upgrade others are 'crying out’ for

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Ballaghkeen will be the “envy of every village in the county” when its safe routes to school project is completed. However, before works on the project at the local national school can commence they had to first be approved by the local council.

And at the June meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD) the scheme received the unwavering support of all those in the chamber.

As part of the works Wexford County Council (WCC) proposes to undertake “construction of new footpaths and pedestrian crossings on the R744 in Ballaghakeen village” with “pedestrian crossings, place making, including landscaping and street furniture, in front of Ballaghakeen National School and extending to the village centre”.

And although there have been 24 submissions made to the council regarding the impact of the works, the district’s councillors said if the scheme didn’t go ahead it would be a source of regret for years to come.

“Having looked at the scheme and met with the team on site I’d have to say I’m 100 per cent supportive of it,” said Councillor Oliver Walsh. “There have been some concerns raised by residents, and the hauliers, but I believe it’s an excellent scheme.”

Costing over €200,000 to complete, the scheme had been met with some reservations by those in the haulage business with one local trader particularly concerned about the proposed narrowing of the roads on the R774 which passes through the village.

But Cllr Walsh was of the opinion that the works would improve traffic management in the area and make life safer for all road users.

“This is a village which has a particular problem being on a regional road, but this scheme will help to alleviate a lot of traffic problems there. It’s a huge opportunity for the village and something we need to progress as soon as we can; and it’s something we should be looking at in other villages.”

Recalling her time on the canvassing trail prior to last year’s local elections, Cllr Mary Farrell said the issue of traffic calming was frequently mentioned by those she spoke to on the doorsteps. And with the safe routes to school project now ready to commence she said this will benefit Ballaghkeen for years to come.

“This is a big opportunity and it’s something that the people of the Ballaghkeen will come to recognise as being the best option for the future of the village,” she said.

Also supporting the scheme was Cllr Joe Sullivan who said the safety of those attending the primary school was of the utmost importance.

“Children are the greatest asset of the state and getting them to and from school safely should be our priority,” he said.

Noting that this was the second project of this type to be approved in the GKMD (after Gorey Central School), Cllr Sullivan said other schools were “crying out” for a similar scheme and that Ballyellis and Ballycanew were two which should be considered next.

With the 24 submissions from concerned parties being submitted in May, Cllr Pip Breen said those who had objected to the scheme were “on board now” and recommended that the project be approved.

“This is the way forward, if we didn’t go ahead with it we’d regret it,” he said. “Ballycanew would give its eye teeth for this. A survey showed that 94 per cent of the motorists going through there are breaking the speed limit. And a lot of those are heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).”

With no dissenting voices, it was left to Cllr Paddy Kavanagh to have the final say.

“This is a must, it if works it can be the blueprint for other villages. Ballymurn is another which could be benefit from this.”