Two routes added in Westmeath as part of Safe Routes to School Programme

Minister Peter Burke has welcomed news from his colleague, Minister Hildegarde Naughton that Athlone Community College and Kilbeggan NS have been selected to be included in the Safe Routes to School Programme.

Minister Burke said: “This is fantastic news and will mean our children and young adults will be supported to now walk or cycle safely to school each day.

“The ambition of this government is to provide the option to every student to make their daily commute to the classroom by foot, bicycle or scooter in a way that they are safe and protected. We often think that this may be only possible in urban areas, and there are some very remote areas where it is not possible, but with the inclusion of rural towns like Kilbeggan, we see where it is possible to provide the infrastructure within the town so that parents can have confidence that their kids are cycling or walking in a safe manner while also getting the benefits of added exercise.

Minister of for Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, alongside the National Transport Authority and Santa Claus, today announced that 108 schools will be included in the Safe Routes to School Programme.

The Safe Routes to School Programme aims to create safer walking and cycling routes within communities, alleviate congestion at the school gates and increase the number of students who walk or cycle to school by providing improvements to walking and cycling facilities. The launch of the second round of the programme today will see over 37,000 students across Ireland benefit from safer infrastructure and encourage them to cycle, walk and wheel to school.

Speaking at the launch of round two of the Safe Routes to School Programme in Galway, Minister Naughton said: “I am delighted to be able to bring some festive cheer to schools nationwide by confirming that thousands of more children nationwide will soon benefit from safer infrastructure which will allow them to walk, cycle and scoot to school every day.

“In recent months I have had the privilege of visiting schools across the country and have seen first-hand the positive impact that Safe Routes to School projects are having on our children’s daily lives. During these visits the message was loud and clear that there is a huge appetite for the continued rollout of the Safe Routes to School Programme in our villages, towns, and cities across the country. Now, having secured the necessary funding as part of Budget 2023, it is great to see the programme continue to go from strength to strength. My ambition is that every child in Ireland will have the option to make their daily commute to the classroom by foot, bicycle or scooter in a way that they are safe and protected; one that I am confident is shared amongst children, their parents, teachers and the wider school community.”

CEO of the National Transport Authority, Anne Graham, added: “The National Transport Authority is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of Safe Routes to School projects right across the country. Our Active Travel team is already working closely with local authorities on the rollout of the Round 1 schemes, and it has been encouraging to see more young people cycling, walking/scooting to school as a result.

“In collaboration with An Taisce Green-Schools and the local authorities, we will now begin working on delivering the second tranche of projects. By working with school communities at a local level to make journeys safer than ever before, we can continue encouraging young people to use more sustainable modes of transport.”

The programme is funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority and is supported by the Department of Education. An Taisce’s Green-Schools is co-ordinating the programme, while funding will be made available to local authorities which will play a key part in delivering the infrastructure. An incredible €20m has been allocated for projects included in Round 2 with the funds coming from each local authority’s annual allocation for Active Travel works.

In recent weeks, a number of schools that took part in Round 1 have started seeing their projects come to fruition including Limerick’s first School Street at An Mhodhscoil on O’Connell Ave in the city centre, and a new School Zone at Bunscoil Rinn an Chablaigh in Cobh, County Cork, creating a safer and calmer area to support children walking, cycling or scooting.