Bus chaos protest as residents seek change

Bus chaos protest as residents seek change

11 June 2014

DISGRUNTLED residents staged a protest against traffic congestion outside St. Patrick’s Grammar School on Friday afternoon.

Residents from Saul Street joined members of the Marian Park Community Association outside the Downpatrick school to vent their frustration about gridlock outside their homes caused by school buses.

They are annoyed that buses park along the road in the mornings and afternoon bringing children to and from school, preventing residents from leaving their homes.

Some are also annoyed by the pollution caused by the buses and have complained that their curtains are soiled by exhaust fumes if they do not close their windows before the buses arrive.

Macartan Digney, chairman of Marian Park Community Association, said he was delighted with the turn out for the protest, which he said was organised to draw public attention to the ongoing issue with school bus traffic.

He said many residents in the area were unable to leave their houses when congestion was at its worst, with some struggling to get to work on time because their cars were “hemmed in.”

“People are sick of buses and congestion day in and day out,” he said.

“They cause disruption to people who live in the area, particularly those trying to get out to work in the mornings.”

James Malone, vice-chairman of the Community Association, said school bus traffic was causing “chaos” for local residents.

He said the bus traffic created a bottleneck at Saul Street with residents needing to stay in their homes for up to half an hour every day while the school empties.

He said they were trying to persuade the school to use an area to the rear of De La Salle High School as a bus depot at the end of the day but were disappointed this had not been properly considered.

“It would benefit the school if this traffic was taken off the main street and into the confines of De La Salle High School where things would be much safer,” he said.

“It would also mean people living in the area would not be disadvantaged every morning and afternoon when the school traffic is at its height.

“The problem is particularly bad at the end of the school day when many times we cannot go anywhere until the traffic eases.”

St. Patrick’s Grammar School’s principal, Sean Sloan, said the school had been working for several years to address the issue of congestion.

He said a number of options had been considered, but the topography of the school site, which is accessed by a steep driveway, made the issue difficult to overcome.

He said the school agreed there was a difficulty with traffic congestion and was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of pupils.

He said the school was considering a number of proposals and was seeking funding from the Department of Education to launch a consultation process in a bid to find a solution that will satisfy the residents and school.