Cork pupils’ message to drivers: ‘Don’t knock us down’

The message was loud and clear - ‘Don’t Knock Me Down’.

Yesterday morning, the school communities of Glasheen Boys’ and Glasheen Girls’ National Schools lined the footpaths of Glasheen Road urging drivers to show extra caution in the vicinity of their schools.

The ‘Don’t Knock Me Down’ campaign is calling on Cork City Council to urgently implement enhanced safety measures at the pedestrian crossing on Glasheen Road, warning that “it is only a matter of time” before a child is seriously injured or killed.

Children held home-made posters and placards bearing blunt messages: ‘Red is for Stop! Not Dead!’ ‘Look Around…Don’t Knock Us Down.’ ‘Slow Down, Don’t Mow Us Down’. There were even a few humorous ones - ‘Careful Now’ and ‘Down With This Sort of Thing’. It was heartening, if deeply sobering, to see the school community unite in calling for the safety of every child.

My own children attend these schools. They are at an age where they could walk independently, but after years of witnessing dangerous driving on Glasheen Road, we simply cannot countenance letting them make that journey alone.

On any given morning, you can stand on Glasheen Road between the junctions with Clashduv Road and Hartland’s Avenue and observe drivers speeding over the 50km/h limit, using mobile phones, breaking red lights, and double parking at dangerous junctions. This reckless behaviour happens in the immediate vicinity of two primary schools that serve hundreds of families each day. It is sheer luck that no child has been seriously injured.

For several years, both schools have repeatedly raised concerns about driver behaviour and the unsafe environment at the pedestrian crossing. The footpaths are narrow. The road is steep. There is little room for error if someone breaks the rules of the road.

Despite regular reports of near misses involving motorists breaking red lights (even when the green pedestrian signal is displayed and the school warden is present), meaningful safety improvements have yet to be delivered.

It is a terrifying experience to have to stand in front of an accelerating car and scream ‘Stop’ to alert the driver that they are about to knock down your child. Unfortunately, it is a position too many parents and care-givers in Glasheen have experienced. Afterwards, parents are emotional and relieved that their worst nightmare was averted.

Glasheen resident and parent Siobhán Slattery said she has experienced multiple near misses at the crossing in recent years, including one incident where a car travelling at speed went straight through a red light as she and her sons stepped onto the road. She was forced to raise her hand and shout for the driver to stop before the vehicle came to an abrupt halt.

On another occasion, while crossing on a green pedestrian light with her young sons in a double buggy, a car again drove through the lights, narrowly avoiding her and her children.

Siobhán said: “These incidents are both upsetting and deeply concerning. As a permanent resident of Glasheen Road, I have noticed a clear increase in speed, traffic and phone usage in recent years. It feels far more dangerous than it used to.

“All of the children attending Glasheen Boys’ and Girls’ Schools should be able to cross the road safely. We are doing our part as parents, but Cork City Council must now take responsibility for making this crossing safe before something far more serious happens.”

Cork City Council has recently painted a yellow box at the end of School Avenue and re-lined double yellow lines in the area as well as installing speed ramps on School Avenue, but these measures fall far short of what is required to make the pedestrian crossing on Glasheen Road safe.

The school community is calling for enhanced traffic calming measures including the implementation of a 30km/hr zone, installation of speed ramps on approaches to the crossing, pencil bollards to prevent unsafe parking and alert drivers they are in a school zone, and highly visible signage alerting drivers to the presence of two schools.

At the protest, Lorraine Houlihan, Principal of Glasheen Girls’ National School, said: “We have been reporting incidents to Cork City Council and the Gardaí involving dangerous driver behaviour and near misses for well over a year. Everyone agrees that something must be done, but there has been no action. The current situation is deeply concerning for our school community.”

Tim O’Neill, Principal of Glasheen Boys’ National School, added: “We are worried someone will be killed. That is the stark reality. We have a duty of care to our pupils and their families, and are asking the council to take preventative action before a tragedy occurs.”

A parent at the protest, Noreen Ring, said: “It feels like it is only a matter of time before a child is killed or seriously injured at this pedestrian crossing. Something must be done urgently. We can’t change driver behaviour, so we must change the environment to make it safer.”

At a time when Cork City Council is encouraging families to embrace active travel, it seems contradictory that a relatively modest investment cannot be made to ensure children can access their schools safely.

The Government’s Safer Routes to School scheme is already oversubscribed, with a waiting list stretching years into the future. The Glasheen community cannot afford to wait for a tragedy before action is taken. If we are serious about promoting walking to school, then safe access must be treated as an immediate priority, not a distant aspiration.

The schools stress that the campaign is not about confrontation, but about protecting children and ensuring safe passage to and from school.

“We simply want our children to be able to cross the road safely,” Principal Houlihan said. “No parent should feel fear bringing their children to and from school.”