KILDARE: More children should be walking to school

Children should be encouraged to ensure that their children walk to school.

“It’s a simple thing to do, to walk or cycle, we all did it,” according to Cllr Noel Heavey.

The Newbridge councillor called for Kildare County Council undertake an initiative across the county - before the start of the next school year - to establish a new “sustainable

way for pupils to get to and from school.”

He said that while there is a national programme covering this issue it is 45 pages long and action needs to be taken quickly.

“This needs to be done from the bottom up,” he said

He was supported by Cllr Padraig McEvoy who said that gardaí using bicycles could have a role in initiatives encouraging more cycling or walking on school routes.

Cllr Peter Hamilton recalled he proposed this three years ago and was told that a pilot scheme was being considered to Monasterevin to assess its merit.

“Are we piloting to death?,” he asked.

Cllr Bill Clear also said that the national programme - Safe Routes to School - which was developed  by the National Transport Authority in partnership with An Taisce’s Green School initiative, is a very slow process.

KCC official Celina Barrett said that the national programme takes a bottom up approach but she said the implementation of the programme within schools had been slowed b y the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have to work in tandem with what exists at national level," she said, adding that the council supports the  programme and acts as the implementation body “for this work which is funded by the Department of Transport.” 

She also said there are no plans to duplicate the work coordinated nationally for this programme.

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