Grattan Street school safety
Deputy Gould described dangerous morning traffic conditions outside Grattan Street Educate Together in Cork and said the council lacks funding for a school warden. The Taoiseach replied that it is primarily a local authority matter and said funding had been provided for active travel and related works.
I have to agree with the Taoiseach. I was in Croke Park in the past couple of weeks for Cork finals. We did not have much success but we are up there often. On a more serious matter, the Taoiseach is well aware of the Grattan Street Educate Together school in Cork. There are serious concerns about road safety for the students when they go to school in the mornings.
There is a pedestrian crossing, but Cork City Council has said that it has no funding to provide a warden so students can cross the pedestrian crossing. The situation now is that cars and trucks are parked on the crossing every morning. The principal of the school contacted the council but it said it did not have the funding. I also contacted the council and the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. He said a great deal of investment is going into transport-----
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We have a school where it is necessary for the people involved to go out and protest on Grattan Street because the children cannot go to school safely.
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The Taoiseach knows the area well and it needs to be sorted.
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Dáil Éireann, genuinely, cannot pronounce on school wardens. We have provided funding. We have provided €360 million to local authorities for walking and cycling etc. Surely the local authority will find the funding to deal with this issue, which is a matter for it in the first instance.