Pencil bollards helping keep children safe at Tyrrellspass school
The people of Tyrrellspass and the many motorists who pass through the village are by now used to the colourful pencil style bollards outside the national school.
The bollards were sponsored by local firm, Shergan Traffic Solutions, and installed by Jason Maguire, who runs a local groundworks company.
Jason, and Laura Sheridan from Shergan met the Westmeath Examiner at the school to explain the idea behind the bollards.
Laura said: “We were delighted to give back to our local community and our school, where our kids go, here in St Anne’s, Tyrrellspass. We provide pencil bollards, with the Safe Roads to School Programme and the NTA to local authorities and contractors all over the country. It’s proven to be a great success – they alert drivers that they’re entering a school zone. They’re strong and robust, and they help prevent vehicles mounting the pavement, protecting the children.
“Also, they prevent vehicle idling, so it reduces emissions around the schools as well, and the reflectivity at night time is important too.
“So, it’s just more awareness for drivers to slow down, and the colourful appearance means that they’re child-friendly too.”
Jason, also a parent in the St Anne’s NS community, and his colleague Patrick Bohan from Kilbeggan, stepped up to help when Shergan contacted him about the bollards, and did the work as part of the sponsorship. “We’re delighted to help out the school and do anything we can,” he said, adding that his groundworks firm do a lot of work in the area, including for Shanette Sheds.
The school staff and pupils are also pleased with the pencil bollards, and Laura Lynch, deputy principal of St Anne’s, worked with Laura and Jason on the project. “We’re delighted with the help from the school community, from the parents, and this really looks after the children in the school. Tyrrellspass is a beautiful village but sometimes there is a lot of speed coming through, and also, we had lost our beloved lollipop lady, so this is a fantastic, it’s another layer of protection for the children when they’re coming out of the school all excited in the evenings.
“It’s great and it does work. The bollards are eye-catching, even because we’re on a straight stretch people might not notice the school on the left-hand side when they’re coming through the village – there are slow down ramps but these bollards have caught eyes a little bit more.”