Kildare's School Wardens send out message to motorists on Road Safety Week
Photos: Green Lane Leixlip School Wardens; L-R: Brenda Price, Mary Keane and Margaret Carey.
School Wardens are using this week’s Road Safety Week to highlight the dangers which drivers pose to school children and school wardens. There are 28 adult school wardens and 60 junior wardens in County Kildare, or as they are known locally as the Lollipop People, and their job is to stop and hold traffic in order that school children can cross the road safely.
On many occasions however, their job is challenged as some drivers fail to stop for the warden, and in some cases, they drive through the crossing while the warden is on the middle of the road guiding children across.
The local School Wardens for the Girls National School in Maynooth is Paul Boothman. He says. “There are almost 600 children attending this primary school. The ones that cross with me all know how to use the school crossing and they all know to wait until I have the traffic stopped, and I’m out on the road before it’s safe to cross over.
"It’s some of the drivers, not them all, but some, that can cause the issues. My appeal to parents and drivers is to be mindful of the school, of the crossing and most importantly the vulnerable children who need to use the crossing and expect to be stopped by the warden to allow kids cross the road safely.”
In Leixlip, there are five School Wardens; Mary Keane, Brenda Price and Mary Keane on the Green Lane, Pauline Kelly at Scoil Ui Dhailig and Ruth Reynolds at San Carlos Junior and Senior schools. The Celbridge area is covered by four School Wardens; Margaret Boylan at Scoil na Mainstreach, Maureen Kane at Scoil Mhoca, Aghards and Valarie Smith and Kathleen Connolly serving Scoil Bhride and Primrose Hill in the village.
Collectively, these wardens cross thousands of children every day. It’s their job to ensure that drivers and cyclists are obeying their instruction and direction to stop, in order to allow the children cross the road safely. Parking around some school can be problematic for some wardens, and on wet days it can be worse. Drivers are being urged to park away from the school crossing in order that the school warden can cross the children safely.
Kildare County Council’s Road Safety, Cycling and Sustainable Transport Officer Declan Keogh is responsible for the management, training, supervision and health and safety of all the wardens in Kildare. Mr. Keogh said “School Wardens are empowered under Section 96 of the 1961 Road Traffic Act to stop traffic to allow children cross the road. Drivers who fail to stop for a school warden run the risk of receiving between 2 and 5 penalty points and a hefty fine, but that’s not the biggest cost, the worst-case scenario is that by not stopping for a school warden, a driver could cost someone their life. We’re asking all drivers to be more aware of their surrounding at schools and to obey the instruction of a School Warden and remember, Stop means STOP.”