Councillor wants 30km/h zones brought in around Cork schools

A Social Democrats county councillor has suggested that 30km/h zones should be set in and around schools during busy times as part of a new enhanced Safe Routes to School scheme he is calling to be opened.

According to East Cork councillor Eamonn Horgan, the Safe Routes to School scheme, which was launched in 2021, has “allowed thousands of children to get to school more safely, with less congestion and less stress”.

Mr Horgan told his fellow councillors during last week’s meeting of the local authority that the scheme was now oversubscribed and wouldn’t be accepting any further applications.

“This scheme, in conjunction with the active travel schemes are bringing new life into towns and villages throughout the country, segregating traffic from pedestrians and cyclists and just giving areas a much needed facelift,” he said, expressing criticism of the fact that it was now closed for new applications.

“It is a very popular scheme, but it should not be a victim of its own success.

“Rather than standing still, we should be celebrating such an important success.

“We should look to expand the scheme if anything.

“Expanding this scheme would firstly allow for more schools to apply, for whatever reason they may not have been able to apply until now.

“It would also allow for a more expanded scheme to take into account further initiatives.”

Among the measures he suggested that could be implemented as part of an enhanced scheme was establishing a 30km/h zone in and around schools during busy times and the identification of walk, park and cycle areas near schools.

He said that schools were becoming increasingly dangerous places during drop-off and pick up times as the vehicle of choice for families were SUV style cars, according to recent studies that showed pedestrians and cyclists were 44% more likely to be hit by a SUV and this figure rose to 82% for children.