Minister visits Cloughoge school to discuss road safety concerns

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has visited St Moninna's Primary School in Cloughoge to meet with teachers, staff, pupils, parents and community representatives to discuss urgent road safety concerns and potential measures to improve safety in the area.

The Minister was joined by Dáire Hughes MP and Newry City Councillor Cathal King at the school, where they were greeted with a presentation from pupils highlighting the importance young people place on road safety in their school community.

The school is located on a heavily used road, with housing developments on both sides and a new 200-home development planned nearby, adding further pressure to traffic levels. Many pupils walk or cycle to school, and rising traffic volumes continue to create serious risks for the school community.

Councillor King and Dáire Hughes MP explained they have been working closely with the school community and relevant departments to push for improvements, including traffic calming measures, safer crossing points and reduced speeds. During the visit, practical measures to slow traffic and make the school environment safer for pupils, staff and parents were discussed.

The Newry City Councillor said it was a busy stretch of road with increasing traffic volumes, and the safety concerns are both genuine and urgent. "I want to sincerely thank Minister Kimmins for taking the time to visit St. Moninna's Primary School and see firsthand the very real challenges facing pupils, parents and staff every day," he said. "Today was about listening to the school community and identifying solutions that will make a real difference."

Both Cllr King and Hughes welcomed the active involvement of pupils, saying it was heartening to see children from St Moninna's contributing to the Minister's speeding review consultation and helping to shape their own school environment and community.

The visit feeds directly into Minister Kimmins' ongoing review of speed limits, whereby the Minister is considering the introduction of permanent 20mph zones outside schools, a key step in extending the part-time zones currently in place and creating safer, more child-friendly communities.

Cllr King concluded that Sinn Féin is fully committed to improving road safety for children and families. "We will keep pushing until the necessary measures are in place to ensure pupils can travel to and from school safely." he said.