*Ennis Community College.
AN APPLICATION has been lodged with ESB for the operation of flashing lights at the pedestrian crossing for Ennis Community College.
Cllr Mary Howard (FG) flagged at the July meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, “the pedestrian crossing that was recently installed in front of the school at Ennis Community College is not working and has not been for some time. There are no flashing lights operating on it”.
Senior executive engineer in the Ennis MD, Paddy Tiernan outlined that the pedestrian crossing was intalled as part of the extension of Ennis Community College. “The installation of this crossing is the responsibility of the applicant for the development. Ennis MD are currently liaising with the applicants representative with a view to resolving this issue as quickly as possible”.
He advised the meeting that they were informed an application has been lodged with the ESB to provide an electrical connection to the lights.
Installation of further pedestrian crossings should be considered at the Maid of Erin roundabout, Cllr Howard argued. “I believe that two crossings would be desirable, one from the school side towards the Mill and the other towards the Lahinch Rd”.
Management in the school have put forward the case that “the vast majority of students walk to school while some cycle”. Over 560 students currently attend the Ennis secondary school.
To monitor traffic at Harmony Row/St Anthony’s Terrace as part of a sustainability project, a new system has recorded that from January 1st to May 5th of this year a total of 460,000 cars and 78,000 heavy goods vehicles have passed the location.
Three elected members of the Ennis MD, Cllr Howard, Cllr Ann Norton (IND) and Cllr Clare Colleran (FF) sit on the Board of Management for Ennis Community College. “It is a great school which has taken on a lot of Ukrainian students, it is a Deis school and it is located on a very busy junction. There is a population of 560 students traversing the road so it is incumbent on us to ensure the area is made safer, the lights haven’t worked on the safety crossing for some time,” Cllr Howard added.
Seconding the bid for improvements, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) advised his colleagues that the councillor app was “a good way of logging local street lights” and issues that needed fixing.
Growth of the school was welcomed by Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF). “560 students is quite a lot, we’re highlighting something which is important. A lot of people are going here at certain times of the day”.
Acknowledging that it was “an important issue,” Cllr Colleran Molloy reminded the meeting that she also brought up a similar motion on the topic “over six months ago”.
