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  • Cork Educate Together National School is calling for urgent action to ensure the safety of their students amidst traffic hazards on Grattan Street.

Parents and members of a Cork school community are expressing growing frustration over the lack of progress in securing a School Traffic Warden to address dangerous traffic conditions.

The situation on Grattan Street is described as “intolerable and dangerous,” with traffic frequently ignoring a Zebra crossing, and children having to negotiate through static traffic while also contending with free-flowing traffic on the other side of the crossing.

Despite public representatives and Cork City Council directors expressing support for the school’s campaign, a sub-committee has been convened to allocate funding for two extra wardens, and the school is still waiting for news of their status within the deliberations.

“We quite reasonably expected to be informed, by now, of our status within these deliberations,” the school said in a statement. “As the urgency of the situation has, if anything, increased, absent reassurance that our case is being given due consideration, we reserve the right to engage in actions that we would rather weren’t necessary.”

The school has identified the health and safety risks and notified An Garda Síochana and Cork City Council on many occasions, but the lack of a traffic warden remains a pressing concern.

“We must seek to protect the children in our care,” the school said. “We believe that we have done our utmost to secure the provision of a traffic warden, and yet we are no closer. The situation we find ourselves in is untenable, and it is unfathomable that we are forced to contemplate the very real prospect of a serious accident involving a member of our school community.”

The school has received the support of the Middle Parish Community Association and Community Garda and is confident of their backing in escalating the campaign. “Any advice or support that you can offer on this matter will be gratefully received,” the school said in its statement.

The situation on Grattan Street highlights the importance of ensuring the safety of school communities, especially in areas with heavy traffic. It is vital that public representatives and city officials take swift action to address the school’s concerns and provide the necessary funding for a School Traffic Warden to ensure the safety of the children in their care.

As the school community continues to wait for news on the allocation of the extra wardens, they are calling on those in positions of authority to prioritize the safety of children and take immediate action to address this urgent issue.