Active School Travel initiative launched in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

The campaign promotes alternative mobility modes like walking and cycling

With schools across Ireland gearing up for their September reopening, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council yesterday launched its Active School Travel initiative to promote active mobility modes for schoolchildren like walking and cycling. Preparations to return to the classroom are in line with the roadmap for the full reopening of schools, published last week by the Department of Education & Skills.

Avoiding traffic congestion, slowing climate change

Getting to school in a safe and active way, in particular by walking and cycling, will ease the burden on the public transport system, prevent traffic jams at school gates and encourage people to stop using their private cars for non-essential reasons, says the Council. The Active School Travel initiative is aligned to dlr’s climate action agenda as well.

Speaking on the occasion, Una Power, chairperson of dlr County Council, said, quoted by the county website: ‘During the COVID-19 pandemic, families have been out and about more, and availing of a range of local amenities, in particular walking and cycling. In launching this initiative, the Council wishes to support families and citizens in their decisions to keep active, healthy and prioritise safe travel options. This is particularly relevant in planning for the upcoming back to school period. I invite all schools, families and children to participate in this Active School Travel initiative, as it develops over the coming weeks and months’.

As part of the initiative, dlr Council is developing tools and projects in the area of alternative transportation to help parents and children. Next week, the Council will launch an interactive web map, showing walking and cycling routes across the County, and other sustainable transport routes. This tool can be used to inform back to school Travel Plans and help inform local choices, in walking and cycling to school.

The Council is also exploring a range of infrastructure projects to complement the existing walking and cycling network. They will be developed and carried out in partnership with the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, The National Transport Authority (NTA), the An Taisce – Green Schools Travel programme and other stakeholders.

Reporting transport issues using a web tool

The Council is committed to the delivery of safer travel and transport options for local schools; provision of cycle parking, overcoming of traffic hazards and creation of safe and quiet streets. To do this, the Council will rely on the feedback of local schools in identifying local travel and transport issues and hazards such as lack of cycle parking places, deteriorated footpaths, traffic pinch points, pedestrian crossing etc. Schools are invited to highlight these issues through the ‘Report It’ tool on the Council’s website.