Schoolchildren in Taylor's Hill are "taking their lives in their hands" while walking to school every day, due to the lack of a suitable footpath on one of the busiest roads in the area.

Maunsells Road at at rush hour.

Maunsells Road is currently used by parents as a route to four local schools and has got increasingly busy over the last number of years. However, despite the high volume of traffic passing through the road every day, a footpath for pedestrians has yet to be constructed in the area leaving residents frustrated and fearful for their children's safety.

Speaking to the Galway Independent, a spokesperson for the Residents Association of Maunsells Road and Park said they have been campaigning for over five years for safety measures to be introduced but to no avail.

"This 50 metre stretch of road is adjacent to a very busy junction between Maunsells Road and Taylors Hill but still does not have a footpath. Schoolchildren and parents are taking their lives in their hands every time they use this route and some are so afraid that they have started using different roads to get their kids to school safely. It is unsafe to walk on this road anymore because the road is simply not wide enough for two meeting cars as well as pedestrians," he said.

Following an approach to Galway City Council about the problem, a "virtual" footpath was painted on the road as a guideline for pedestrians and drivers but residents fear that this has made the situation even worse.

"We have been in contact with every councillor, TD and Senator in the county and have got an overwhelmingly positive response. As a result, we have been given an opportunity to meet with Galway City Council next week to discuss the situation, something we have been denied over the last number of years.

"As an interim measure, the council painted lines on one side of the road as a kind of virtual footpath but this is completely inadequate. The traffic still verges in on top of the 'footpath' and it is just giving an unreliable sense of safety. One resident has told us that while walking their children to school, the child had to walk spread-eagled against the wall to get by. This is very dangerous and completely unacceptable, something has to be done before one of these children gets hurt."

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