Debate contribution: Safety at School Bus Stops

Debate contribution by Mr Stephen Dunne on 2 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Stephen Dunne

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

2 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Safety at School Bus Stops

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4981285

Read the official Assembly record

Text

No parent should be sending their child to school in the morning and be worried that they may not come back. Tragically, events in recent months and years have made that a genuine concern for many parents across Northern Ireland. We must recognise that the danger is particularly acute in rural areas, where narrow roads, blind bends and sometimes higher speeds can only magnify the threat. It is important, however, to point out that those concerns also exist in our busy urban areas. Tragically, we have seen too many near misses and, in some cases, heartbreaking accidents that might have been prevented, had stronger safeguards been in place. Some of those incidents have been referenced already this afternoon. We need to see action now, and we must always remember the families of those who have been most impacted on. Primary responsibility for exploring legislative options lies with the Department for Infrastructure. Since the Minister has been in post, she has outlined how road safety is a key priority for her. The motion provides her with an opportunity to demonstrate that further through actions, not just words. I welcome her commitment made earlier today — outside of the Chamber, I may add — on the issue. I welcome that step. We also recognise, however, that improving road safety around our schools will require a joined-up approach and collaboration among such stakeholders as DFI, the PSNI, the Education Authority, the Department of Education and our local communities and councils. All have a role to play. As was mentioned during Question Time, the 20 mph zones are a welcome step forward. They have made a positive difference across the country in urban and rural areas, and we need to see more of them. I welcome the commitment to a further tranche of 20 mph zones, albeit that "modest" was the word used. It should be kept high on the agenda, so I encourage the Minister to make further progress on the roll-out of 20 mph zones. Additionally, we still await the publication of the 2025-26 road safety strategy action plan, which, I trust, will include measures to improve road safety not just around bus stops and on school routes but across our local communities. A gap exists, but we must look at introducing short-, medium- and long-term measures that will give confidence to parents and ensure safer routes to and from school. We know that awareness campaigns and advertising methods can be powerful. I welcome the Department's recently launched advertising campaign that highlights the dangers that children face when getting on and off buses. It is important that that campaign be spread as widely as possible. At Question Time, I mentioned the need for proper maintenance to be undertaken around our schools. Our section offices should be supported with investment to ensure that warning signage, yellow markings and so on can be kept well maintained and that every effort is made to prioritise and not compromise on road safety for all road users, including our schoolchildren.

503 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:45 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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