Minister calls for stricter road safety near schools

Minister of Educational Transformation Chad Blackman on Tuesday urged urgent improvements to road safety around schools after a primary pupil was hit by a vehicle outside a school earlier this year, in an incident caught on camera and widely shared on social media.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Tuesday on a resolution for the acquisition of land for a roundabout to replace the Windsor and Lower Greys junction, Blackman emphasised the critical need for improved road safety measures around schools.

“The issue of ensuring safety, not just in the schools, but safety around our schools and the use of our roads by drivers, cyclists, continues to be one of grave concern to me,” the minister said. “I want to use this occasion to encourage all those who use our roads–but particularly our drivers and those who use motorbikes–when you’re coming into the zones of our schools, you need to be mindful. You need to be extra cautious because there are children, their parents, their teachers, and those who are using these schools.”

His appeal comes after a February incident in which a Westbury Primary School student was knocked down by a vehicle along President Kennedy Drive. The incident, captured on surveillance footage and widely circulated on social media, sparked national outrage and renewed calls for tighter enforcement of road safety regulations, especially near schools.

The child has since been discharged from hospital, but the traumatic event prompted his mother to issue a public plea for urgent government intervention to tackle dangerous driving in their St Michael community.

Blackman disclosed that the education ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Transport and Works to develop a new policy aimed at safeguarding students and school staff. The initiative will introduce designated speed limits within school zones across the island.

He said:  “I can tell you that the team from the Ministry of Educational Transformation is actually working with a team from Ministry of Transport and Works, so as to formulate a policy that ensures that we can have designated speed limits for school zones, thus ensuring that in and around our schools that our people are protected.” (SB)