Safe routes to school
In March 2021, a new Safe Routes to School programme was collaboratively launched by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton TD and Education Minister Norma Foley TD.
Representing the next phase of the Government’s investment in active travel, the programme is intended to support the delivery of improved active travel infrastructure for selected schools. As indicated by the Department of Transport, these improvements can range from upgrading existing footpaths or constructing a new cycle lane to a redevelopment of a school entrance.
The programme’s central objective is to establish safer walking and cycling routes to alleviate congestion in the vicinity of schools and increase the number of students opting to walk or cycle to school.
Funded by the Department of Transport, through the National Transport Agency (NTA), the Government has allocated over €15 million to deliver Safe Routes to School projects at over 100 schools in 2021. The programme is also supported by the Department of Education and is coordinated by An Taisce’s Green Schools, while local authorities “will play a key part in delivering the infrastructure along access routes and at the school gate”.
In seeking to implement the programme, seven additional jobs across An Taisce and the NTA have been created, alongside 248 new active travel positions announced by the Department of Transport.
Eligibility is extended to all schools, with participation aligned to a set of criteria which includes “school type, location and school’s commitment to sustainable travel”.
Selected schools and local authorities will then collaborate with a designated infrastructure officer from Green Schools to plan and deliver the improved infrastructure, while schools which are not successful may reapply at a later point.
Minister Ryan outlined: “Schoolchildren need more than hi-vis vests to get to schools safely. They need proper infrastructure to make walking cycling and scooting a practical choice for families. The first phase of Safe Routes to School will help deliver these facilities by fast tracking segregated infrastructure and providing front of school treatments to improve access and prevent congestion. Helping children get to school safely under their own steam is better for their health and development and better for the environment.”
Similarly, Education Minister Norma Foley emphasised the opportunity to create healthier and more sustainable travel options, adding: “Being active is a key component of wellbeing, and this initiative will help our schools to promote active and safe travel for all students.”
NTA CEO Anne Graham asserted: “The project being announced today is a significant step in encouraging young people to use more sustainable modes of transport, particularly when going to school. We want to see more young people cycling, walking/scooting to school, but we understand that safety is a concern.
“In this first phase of ‘Safe Routes to School’, we will address this by providing better infrastructure for these young people. This year alone, work on projects will get under way in over 100 schools around the country.”
