Seven Limerick schools added to Safe Routes to School Programme

Seven Limerick schools added to Safe Routes to School Programme. Students from St Pauls National School, Dooradoyle Elliot Harrington, Luke Yang, April O’Keeffe Howard and Patryk Janowski at the launch of the Father Russell Road Active Travel Scheme in October 2024. Pic: Don Moloney

Seven Limerick schools are to benefit from enhanced infrastructure around the school gates having been added to Round 3 of the Safe Routes to School programme

The initiative is funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority (NTA). The Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce is co-ordinating the programme.

The Active Travel team in Limerick City & County Council is tasked with delivering the infrastructure to provide the Scheme, following successful funding applications from the schools directly to the NTA.

The team then works on design proposals, in consultation with the school itself, the NTA, Council central services, elected members and other potentially impacted stakeholders such as nearby residents, businesses etc.

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This latest phase will extend the popular ‘School Zone’ improvements to more schools across Limerick and the rest of the country, using recognisable design features, such as pencil shaped bollards, colourful road markings, improved footpaths and pedestrian crossings. This is intended to highlight the presence of the school and encourage traffic to slow down and increase walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling among students.

For the first time, schools on Higher Speed Rural Roads (HSRR) will be included in the programme. The design approach at these schools will be different to the standard ‘School Zone’ approach with the focus being on alerting motorists to the presence of schools and encouraging lower speeds and more attentive driving. This will be achieved through signage and road markings at the front of the school.

The Limerick schools to have been added to the Scheme are Athea NS, Scoil Mhuire NS Murroe, and Shanagolden NS for School Zone improvements.

HSRR schools include Carnane NS, Fedamore; Glenbrohane NS; Martinstown NS; and Scoil Ailbhe (Caherelly NS).

Schools in Limerick to have already benefitted from the Scheme include An Mhodhscoil, Roden Street; Gaelscoil Sáirséal, Shelbourne Road; St Paul’s National School, Dooradoyle; St Nessan’s National School, Mungret; Lisnagry National School; Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ; Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ and St Clement’s College.

Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, said: “It only seems like yesterday when I attended the launch of safer cycling facilities on the Fr Russell Road at my old national school at St Paul’s in Dooradoyle with Minister Lawless and others, with that school having also benefitted from this initiative. It is doubly pleasing therefore to see seven further schools across the entire county, added so quickly to Limerick’s Safe Routes to School programme. Road safety across all of our county is a key component of the recently unveiled Mayoral Programme.  But if we are serious about getting more people walking and cycling for healthier lifestyles, we have to do all we can so that especially vulnerable road users like school children have safe, sustainable transport choices.  And of course other parents gain too as we alleviate congestion at the school gates for those who still have to drive.”

Senior Engineer with the Active Travel department at Limerick City & County Council, Sean McGlynn, commented: “The Safe Routes to School programme is a significant part of the Active Travel team’s work as we continue to expand and upgrade Limerick’s walking and cycling network, across both the city and the county. The key element of this initiative is that the schools themselves have applied directly to the NTA for funding – in other words, each of these schools already has a keen interest and desire for safer facilities at drop-off and collection times. We look forward to beginning work with these schools and other various stakeholders in the near future to ensure the continued delivery of quality infrastructure benefitting Limerick schoolchildren.”

Limerick City & County Council’s Active Travel team was allocated €300,000 by the NTA in 2024 for the design and delivery of various Safe Routes to School schemes. It is anticipated that this funding allocation will increase in 2025 in line with the addition of new schools to the programme.