Casey vows to hold local authority 'responsible for any injuries that happens to any child' on south Longford road

“Going back to when I went to National School, there has always been a lollipop lady in Lanesboro,” said Cllr Mark Casey at a meeting of Ballymahon Municipal District last week.

“It’s a very busy junction. Cars build up speed coming down the hill and then you have the N63, probably one of the busiest roads in Longford. So you have a significant amount of traffic going to Roscommon there.

“We always had a lollipop person there and over the years we’ve had some excellent lollipop people. I just want to get it reinstated.

“The school has been onto me, they’re very concerned about this and so are the local parents and even the local shopkeepers. They’re looking out the window and seeing children crossing the road.”

Cllr Casey acknowledged the fact that there is a set of traffic lights “further down the road”, but stated kids “in their wisdom” will always take the shortest route.

The lollipop person job, he said, is a role that is done three times daily - at nine o’clock, two o’clock and three o’clock - and would be a nice job for someone who lives locally.

“And it makes everything safe. No one wants it on their conscience that we took away the lollipop person and then a child dies,” he stressed, “you just don’t want that on your conscience.

“If Longford County Council made that decision, the responsibility would be with Longford County Council if any accidents happen there, because they’re making the conscious decision to take that out of there.

“I want it minuted that if Longford County Council take the lollipop lady out of there, I am holding them responsible for any injuries that happen to any child on that road.”

A response from the Roads Department at Longford County Council stated that the lollipop person in Lanesboro since 2021 was a temporary measure while roadworks were being completed.

“These works are now completed and the school was notified before their return in September 2023, that the work has been completed and the temporary cover arrangements will no longer be in place,” the response read.

Director of Services, Sam Healy further explained that the decision not to replace the lollipop lady in 2021 “was made on the basis that it was the last remaining position and all previous positions hadn’t been filled after they had been vacated”.

“The Road Safety Officer has been in touch with the school regarding the Road Safety Authority scheme, Safe Routes to School programme, where there is funding available to work with the school to identify road safety initiatives that they want to implement,” said Ms Healy, “so the funding sits with the RSA and it’s for the school to work directly through that programme to access funding.”

Cllr Casey, not satisfied, asked if it would be better to keep the lollipop lady until the school has other road safety measures in place, but Ms Healy stressed that the decision was made in 2021 and a temporary arrangement put in place.

“That decision was communicated with the school at that time and it was also made clear at that time that the provision of a temporary lollipop person was whilst those works were going on, so it’s not a decision that’s been made now, in 2023,” she said.

Cllr Mick Cahill pointed out that there are other lollipop people employed around the county but was informed that those positions were not funded by Longford County Council.

“I don’t know who is funding them specifically, whether they’re being paid privately by the schools, whether they’re through this Safe Routes to School programme, I don’t know, but in terms of Longford County Council lollipop person employees, there are none,” said Ms Healy.

“The lollipop person in Lanesboro was a temporary measure from 2021 when the position was vacated and it was decided not to fill it, as per all other positions that had been vacated by council lollipop people prior to that.”

Cllr Casey, in an effort to “sum up” the issue asked if the Road Safety Officer had “deemed this safer now”, to which Ms Healy responded by again stressing that the management team had made the decision in 2021.

“So the full management team discussed the lollipop lady in Lanesboro and decided that they were going to pull the position?” Cllr Casey asked.

“I just want this clarified and I want it minuted as well because if there’s anything that happens, who made the decision?”

Ms Healy once again stressed that “all previous lollipop positions that had been vacated and had not been filled”.

“At the point where the position in Lanesboro was vacated, as per the other positions not being filled, the Lanesboro position was also not filled,” she repeated.

“People have to be held accountable for the decisions they’re making,” Cllr Casey insisted.

“It was a management team decision in June 2021,” said Ms Healy again.

“So that’s four people who did this, on the recommendation of the Road Safety Officer,” said Cllr Casey, “I just want to know who’s accountable.”

“But I do need to be clear, there are options in terms of the school working with the RSA programme, Safe Routes to School, in terms of identifying ways in which the school can put in measures and there’s funding available to the school,” said Ms Healy.

“And the Road Safety Officer is engaging with the school on that, so there are options, it’s not the case that nothing is being done and that the Road Safety Officer isn’t working with the school.”

Cllr Cahill asked if it was possible to find out how the school in Ballymahon was paying for their lollipop person.

“My belief is it’s paid for by the school, but this is a school of 90 kids, which wouldn’t have the funding of a school of 400 kids, so I don’t think it’s an option,” said Cllr Casey.

Cllr Pat O’Toole admitted he was unsure of whether or not the position in Ballymahon was funded by the school. He did, however, offer to find out from the board of management.