Minister and Cork County Council Launch Safe Routes to School Zones in Skibbereen

Minister Jerry Buttimer has joined Cork County Council to officially launch two new School Zones in Skibbereen as part of the Safe Routes to School Programme, aimed at creating safer walking and cycling routes within communities, alleviating congestion at school gates and increasing the number of students who walk or cycle to school through improved infrastructure.

The new zones at St. Patrick's Boys National School and St. Joseph's Girls National School in Skibbereen have transformed the areas to the front of both schools, providing colourful, child-friendly and integrated street designs to enhance safety and accessibility for pupils, parents and the wider school communities.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley said:

"Ensuring that children can travel to and from school safely is essential, but it's also important that those journeys support active and healthy lifestyles. Initiatives like this encourage pupils to walk, cycle or scoot in a safe and welcoming environment, helping to build good habits from an early age. I am confident that these new Safe Routes to School measures will have a lasting, positive impact on families and the wider Skibbereen community. Well done to everyone involved in bringing this project to completion."

Minister Buttimer said:

"Projects such as this one are so important to encourage higher levels of active travel. Walking and cycling to school has multiple benefits for the physical and mental health of our children as well as overall benefits to the school environment through fewer emissions from fossil-fuelled cars driving or idling nearby. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work undertaken by the Active Travel team in both Cork County Council and the NTA and I hope that this fantastic progress will continue in the coming years."

At St. Patrick's Boys National School on School Road, which has 199 students and 30 staff, enhanced congregation space has been created, including seating, street art, cycle parking and rainwater gardens. Along School Road, widened footpaths with planting and pencil bollards create a child-friendly environment, while traffic calming measures and a raised pedestrian crossing improve safety.

Alan Foley, Principal of St. Patrick's Boys National School, said:

"As an Active & Green School, improved and safe access for the ever-increasing number of pupils walking, cycling and availing of school transport to St Patrick's Boys' National School has had such a positive impact on our school. The new road layout and newly developed areas outside of our school has transformed our mornings and afternoons when children are arriving and leaving school. Traffic has been greatly reduced and families and children are walking and cycling more to school. We now have a safe area where children, parents and siblings can gather safely before school starts in the morning and for leaving school later in the day."

At St. Joseph's Girls National School on Convent Hill, which has 182 students and 24 staff, a new School Zone incorporates pencil bollards and roundels. A pocket garden at the school gate provides enhanced congregation space, including a dedicated seating area and planting to complement the existing mature Beech tree.

Norton House car park, located approximately two minutes' walk from the schools, has been upgraded as a park-and-stride facility. Works include new footpaths, planting and pencil bollards to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility, as well as enhanced congregation space for pupils, parents, guardians and grandparents.

From Norton House to St. Joseph's Girls National School, sections of the existing footpath have been upgraded and extended to create a continuous off-road route for students. Along North Street and surrounding areas, widened footpaths, traffic calming measures, upgraded crossings and landscaping works further enhance connectivity and safety.

Given the proximity of the two schools, Cork County Council delivered the measures as a joint project, allowing for an integrated and coordinated approach to improving pedestrian infrastructure and road safety in the area. The works also benefit a wider educational cluster including Gaelscoil Dr. Uí Shúilleabháin, Cork College of FET West Cork Campus, two preschools and Skibbereen Community School.

Cork County Council, in partnership with the National Transport Authority and An Taisce, has now completed 11 Safe Routes to School schemes, with a further 25 projects currently active, six of which are substantially complete.

The Safe Routes to School Programme was launched in March 2021 as an initiative of the Department of Transport. It forms part of the An Taisce Green-Schools Programme and is delivered in partnership with the National Transport Authority and local authorities. It aims to support walking, scooting and cycling infrastructure on key routes to schools, improve access to school grounds and increase the availability of secure bike parking.