'Carrigaline is known by its traffic': Victim’s father calls for better road safety

THE father of the eight-year-old boy who died after being struck by a car while he was cycling near the Ballinrea roundabout in Carrigaline has pleaded for motorists to be more careful driving through the town.

Eight-year-old André Castro Ladeiro, who was a student at Owenabue Educate Together NS, passed away on August 16 in Temple Street Hospital, just days after the incident. He had travelled from Portugal with his parents César and Filipa and little brother Tomás back in 2019, for a new life in Ireland.

His father César posted on Facebook on Tuesday about the nightmare the family are still enduring. He said he has witnessed a number of bad driving incidents in the same spot where André was struck.

“In the same spot, I have seen more than three cars in different occasions crossing the red light. Thankfully no person was crossing. It means two things: Drivers, apparently, only respect other cars and drivers know that nothing will happen to them when they make some road offences. Other places have automatic penalties, huge fines, or just drivers respecting all road users,” added Mr Ladeiro.

“Carrigaline is known by its traffic. I do guarantee you that crossing Carrigaline at a lower speed will get you through in and out in the same time. One month has passed and no change has been made on that crossing in Carrigaline, but it is a matter of time,” he said.

Responding to the social media post, Fine Gael councillor Jack White said: “I agree fully with Cesar’s two salient points made around driver behaviour, and enforcement of penalties for bad driving behaviour.

“Other councillors and I raised the issue at the Community Policing Forum in Carrigaline Community Hall. We asked gardaí for more speed checks, more checks on drivers texting while driving, and general checkpoints to create awareness. Sadly, as a country, our driver behaviour is slipping backwards.”

Also responding to the post, Fianna Fáil councillor Séamus McGrath said: “Safety for all must be paramount. That has to be prioritised over everything else. I totally understand the critical importance of working for a safer road network as well as improving pedestrian and cyclist facilities. I do my best to highlight specific issues on a regular basis with the council and work with the engineers to bring about improvements where possible.”

As of Tuesday, September 12, a total of 130 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, which is 25 more than the same period in 2022.