The issue of a lack of school wardens at busy Wexford schools is once more raising its head.
Newly elected Labour councillor for Wexford Vicky Barron, is advocating for the return of traffic wardens to ensure safer routes for children walking to school.
She has highlighted serious concerns following the loss of school wardens in 2021, which she believes has made local schools less safe.
“Children today are not as streetwise as they once were, and many now travel to school by car rather than walking. This change has led to several near-misses, with children running across roads without realizing that cars may not stop at crossings,”
Speaking following the Councils Municipal Meeting last Monday Vicky Barron has emphasised the importance of having an adult present to direct children across roads, arguing that this would significantly improve safety.
She has also expressed frustration that despite local lobbying, the replacement traffic warden was never given the authority to start.
The safe routes to school initiative has been a successful initiative in rural areas . Cllr Barron believes that reinstating school traffic wardens, alongside better road safety measures, would be a positive step toward protecting children and ensuring their safety as they travel to school.
It’s an issue that Enniscorthy Councillor Jackser Owens has been vociferous about. Cllr Owens has been advocating for a traffic warden to be re-instated at St Aidan’s Primary School.
St Aidans Primary School is the second largest primary school outside of Dublin with over a thousand students attending.
