A Co Derry primary school has pledged to step up its campaign to have the speed limit outside the school reduced from 60mph to 30mph.
Pupils and staff at Spires Integrated Primary School in Magherafelt have been calling for a reduced speed limit on the Moneymore Road for almost 17 years.
School principal, Joan Bell, said the school now intended to step the campaign up a gear following a number of ‘near misses’.
On one occasion, a motorist collided with the pillars outside the school before coming to rest at the pedestrian entrance.
More recently, a car bumper was catapulted over the school fence following a crash.
Mrs Bell said: “The Moneymore Road is very busy and around 10,000 vehicles travel on this road every day. The number of vehicles driving in excess of 60mph is frightening.
“We are very concerned about the safety of the pupils as there have been so many near misses.”
Mrs Bell said they have lobbied MLAs, contacted the PSNI and Roads Service however ‘no-one seems to be taking it on board’.
“There are so many other country schools in the Magherafelt area which have had a number of speed reductions introduced in the last number of years so why can’t that happen here?
“Since we’ve moved here the area has become more built up. We have had a lot of support from the neighbouring residential areas and we now hope that someone will listen to us.”
During ‘Walk to School Week,’ pupils took to the roadside with posters (pictured) calling for motorists to slow down.
Primary seven pupil Jack said: “Our school is the only one in the Magherafelt area where the speed limit is above 30mph. We feel neglected.”
His classmate Nicholas said: “We can’t just keep getting lucky. Eventually there will be an accident involving a pupil and we don’t want to take that risk.”
Imogen said she would love to be able to walk to school ‘feeling safe’.
“It would be more fun if we could walk to school knowing that the cars wouldn’t be going so fast. Some parents don’t want their children walking to school as they don’t feel it’s safe enough.”
Jake added: “I would just ask those in charge to please lower the speed limit to 20 or 30mph so in our community we feel safer.”
A spokesperson Department for Infrastructure (DfI) spokesman said: a review had been arried out in 2015 in relation to speed limits outside the school.
The spokesperson added: “The Department wrote to the school in December 2015 to advise of the outcome of this review.
“This concluded that a new 50mph speed limit should be introduced to cover Spires Integrated Primary School that will extend to the point where a new roundabout will be constructed as part of the new Magherafelt Bypass.
“However, a further review of speed limits should be carried out in late 2016 following the opening of the new bypass, currently scheduled for autumn 2016.
“This is because traffic volumes are expected to reduce by almost 50% as the new bypass will change the characteristics of the road.
“This review also concluded that the existing 30 mph speed limit will be extended to cover the residential developments further out of town along the Moneymore Road at Shelbourne Park/Heights, Oakvale Manor and the pedestrian crossing island at Oakvale Manor.”
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