Schoolchildren Dicing with death

August 2008

PARENTS of children attending St. Mary’s National School in Barndarrig are terrified that the 100 km/h limit on the N11 at Lil Doyle’s Junction will lead to a tragic accident as pupils try to cross the road to catch a bus.

The limit starts at 80 km/h from the Ballinameesda Bends but hikes up to 100 km/h just 100 yards or so away from the turn off for the school.

According to Kieran Ryan, a member of the School Board, ‘it’s a lethal stretch of the road with children crossing it all the time. It’s an absolute nightmare for parents. On the one hand you have traffic speeding by on the N11 and on the other hand you have cars pulling into Lil Doyle’s Pub.

The board is pushing for a decrease in the speed limit at Lil Doyle’s junction from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. School buses for the Barndarrig school stop four times a day and people also need to cross the highway to access shops and the church at great risk to their lives.