Tralee School Selected For Safe Routes To School Programme

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A NUMBER of Tralee schools are among the 170  nationally which have been notified that they have been selected for inclusion in the first round of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programme to support walking and cycling infrastructure for primary and post-primary schools.

Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk, Moyderwell Mercy Primary School, Presentation Secondary School, Presentation Primary School and CBS Primary School have been selected.

The announcement has been welcomed by Minister for Education Norma Foley and Kerry Green Party Chairperson, Anluan Dunne.

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“Walking and cycling to school is healthier for children but safety has been of major concern to parents,” said Anluan Dunne.

“The Safe Routes to School initiative aims to tackle that problem and reclaim the area around schools for the safety of our children. It should also alleviate the traffic congestion caused around schools at drop-off and pick-up times I’m delighted to see five Tralee schools included in this first round and I hope to see many more schools in Kerry applying for the scheme in the future.”

Minister Foley said; “It is clear from the level of interest in the Safe Routes to School programme that school communities are committed to finding new and creative means of  walking, scooting and cycling safely to school. I look forward to seeing the imaginative and fun ways our communities reinvent these active pathways to schools.”

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 walking and cycling facilities.

The improvements to the school commute range from an upgraded footpath or new cycle lane to a complete reworking of the road outside a school’s entrance. Cycle and scooter parking will be provided to most schools that are part of the programme.

Precise details of the works to be undertaken in and around the individual schools will be determined after a detailed assessment has been carried out by the relevant local authority. The process of engagement between the schools, NTA and the local authorities is already under way.

The programme is funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority (NTA) 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 along access routes and at the school gate.

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