Issues Raised For The Safety Of Children Walking To School During Walk To School Week

This week is Walk to School Week, however many schools in Kildare do not have adequate or safe footpaths for children to get to school

This week is Walk to School Week 2024, which promotes and encourages students to walk to school.

Green Schools Ireland states "walking to school is one of the best ways to start the day with multiple benefits to children’s physical and mental health. 

"Based on feedback we receive, those able to walk to school tend to arrive happier and more focused. What’s more, walking is great for the environment by reducing the number of cars at the school gate, reducing congestion, air pollution and road safety issues".

However, there are multiple schools across Kildare that do not have safe footpaths/access routes for children to walk or cycle to school.

 For many across the county, rural roads are the only route to school, with many of them not having adequate and safe walking routes.

In December 2021, Kfm reported that Calverstown Action Network were campaigning for the installation of a footpath between Calverstown and Ballyshannon.

Speaking on the Kildare Today show back then, Chairperson Pat Donnelly stated that the speed limit on the stretch of road was 80km/h for a brief period, and the area lacked in "basic infrastructure".

He also noted that it was not safe for schoolchildren to walk or cycle on.As of December 2021, approximately 50% of students who attend Ballyshannon National School live in the Calverston area, meaning this stretch of road was the main route for them to get to school.

Most recently, in September 2024, St Patrick's Primary School in Celbridge staged a protest calling for a safer access route for students to get to school.

Having reported on this last month, Kfm provided an update on this morning's Kildare Today show with JP Nerbun, a parent from St Patrick's school.

A designated pedestrian gate at the school was conditioned in the original planning permission by Kildare County Council and is deemed the only safe access point to the school.

However, the gate remained closed.

Children walking to and from school are forced to walk or cycle on an open pathway adjacent to the R405, a busy regional road with a speed limit of 60km/h.

The road also has considerable commuter traffic, as it services the commuter town Celbridge, as well as traffic from surrounding areas and those using the Hazelhatch train station.

Speaking this morning, Mr Nerbun said that following the protest, parents sat with the board of management who committed to opening the gate which was built 17 years ago.

He also said that St Patrick's Primary School has told parents they will open the gate once Kildare County Council establish a safe passage.

Now parents are looking at the council to "step up and do their part".

However, the council has stated that it will not proceed until they take over the estate in which the gate is located.

Mr Nerbun also explained that parents in the school conducted a poll that revealed over 90% of them would like to see their children walk to school, yet most are not able to as it is unsafe.

"We don't want something really serious to happen here with one of our kids.

"There's been a few incidents where people have been knocked down, bikers knocked down by cars.

"We're very, very close to having something really, really tragic happen here".

Also speaking on this morning's Kildare Today show was Fianna Fáil Councillor for Clane-Maynooth MD Naoise Ó Cearúil, who was asked if he understood where parents were coming from in regard to safe footpaths/access routes for children to get to school.

Cllr Ó Cearúil noted that many of the rural schools are over 100 years old, and it was once safe to walk on rural roads to and from school.

"There's a responsibility on us all to look at our own behaviours on the road, but also on how we're parking up on schools".

Cllr Ó Cearúil stated that Kildare County Council has a role to play in this, to which he has been pushing for safe school zones in the Clane-Maynooth MD meetings.

He says the intent is for the safe school zones to be extended to areas such as Kilshanroe, Timahoe, and Maynooth Boys' National School.

Listeners on Kfm have also commented on the need for proper footpath infrastructure, something which lacks in many routes to schools across Kildare.

"I would urge anybody that has an issue around a particular school to contact the local councillor", said Cllr Ó Cearúil.

The full interview can be listen to here.