With years of delayed safety upgrades, parents said without immediate intervention, the situation could lead to tragedy.
It's been claimed that hundreds of primary schoolchildren risk injury or death daily as they travel on the "dangerous" R405 Celbridge Road in Maynooth.
With years of delayed safety upgrades, parents said without immediate intervention, the situation could lead to tragedy.
Tomorrow morning, between 8am and 9am, parents and children will gather outside Gaelscoil Uí Fhiaich and Maynooth Educate Together National School in a public protest, urging Kildare County Council to address their concerns.
For more than a decade, parents have called for safety improvements on the R405, including upgrading its narrow, uneven footpaths and adding cycle tracks.
Parents said despite repeated promises, the road’s infrastructure has worsened, while traffic volumes have increased significantly.
Over 870 children aged four to thirteen depend on the road to access their schools.
"I’m terrified every morning," said one parent. "We’ve been asking for upgrades for 10 years. How many near misses does it take before action is taken?"
Other parents shared similar stories.
“My child’s school bag was hit by the wing mirror of a passing car. She was terrified and is very nervous using this road now," one parent said.
Another parent said: “We would prefer to walk or cycle as it is healthier, but I’m too afraid that one of our children will be injured or worse, so we drive.”
Parents of children attending the schools were surveyed about their thoughts and experiences of the R405.
80 per cent of parents want their children to walk, cycle, or scoot to school but feel it is unsafe to do so.
59 per cent of students live within 2 km of their schools, making active travel feasible with proper infrastructure.
49% of families rely on cars to avoid danger, with claims that this figure would drop to 2 per cent if safer pathways existed.
91 per cent of parents are in support of tomorrow's protest.
Parents are also calling for the speed limit on the R405 to be reduced from 50km/h to 30 km/h.
Speaking on Kildare Today, parent Rachel Grimes-Doyle said the situation is "extremely dangerous".
Kfm has contacted Kildare County Council for comment.
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