Bandon school gets first safe zone in Cork

THE first safe school zone in Co Cork has been officially launched at Scoil Phádraig Naofa in Bandon.

The safe school zone uses eye-catching traffic-calming measures designed to encourage more pupils to walk, cycle, and scoot to school.

Brightly coloured shapes have been painted on the road and a raised pedestrian crossing has been built as part of efforts to slow down traffic approaching the school.

Pencil-shaped bollards have also been erected to prevent cars from parking on the footpath.

The new safe school zone was officially launched by the mayor of County Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, and Hildegarde Naughton, the junior transport minister.

Ten schools across Co Cork have been successful in securing funding during the first round of the Safe Routes to School programme, with a further 50 primary and secondary schools across the county expected to benefit in subsequent rounds.

Work on safe school zones is being carried out by Cork County Council, with funding provided by the National Transport Authority and An Taisce.

Ms Coughlan welcomed the initiative and said that, as mayor of Cork County, she was very proud to attend the launch of the safe school zone at Scoil Phádraig Naofa.

“It is great to see children and adults travelling to and from the school in such an attractive and safe environment for everyone.

“There has been a noticeable increase in pupils walking and cycling to the school daily, reduced congestion, and an increase in pupil safety within the school zone,” she said.

Launching the zone, Ms Naughton said the Safe Routes to School programme reimagines the journey that children make to school every day. She said that she was delighted to launch the first safe school zone to be completed in Co Cork.

“Barriers to walking, cycling, or scooting for the school community have been significantly reduced as a result of this fantastic project, allowing for the daily trip to the classroom to be fun, active, and safe,” Ms Naughton said.

“In time, as the Safe Routes to School programme is rolled out across Cork County, I am confident that through continued investment and co-operation, thousands of other students and school communities will be able to travel safely to and from school by walking, cycling, or scooting.”

The Safe Routes to School programme was launched in March 2021 by the Department of Transport with the support of the Department of Education.

The programme aims to improve safety at the school gate by preventing parked or stopped cars from blocking the visibility of pedestrians crossing the road. It also looks at improving walking and cycling infrastructure.

Cork County Council chief executive Tim Lucey said the Safe Routes to School programme provided an opportunity for school communities to enable more sustainable travel to and from school.

“The works undertaken in the vicinity of Scoil Phádraig Naofa and the provision of further projects across the county represent a significant step in encouraging young people to use more sustainable modes of transport on their daily journeys to school and to make the trips to school safer than ever before so that we can make a real difference to schools, families, and the environment,” Mr Lucey said.