Safe Routes To School- Coláiste Chilliain
Coláiste Chilliain is a primary school on Old Nangor Road in Clondalkin. The Safe Routes To School initiative in this area looks to Improve Road Safety conditions outside a school by reducing traffic congestion at the school gate to make it safer environment for children to cycle, walk and scoot to school, Improve the local environment by reducing dependence on motorized transport as the preferred mode of choice to get to and from school. This will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions and improvement in local air quality and promote better health as traffic free environments encourage more people to walk and cycle, thus improving our physical health and general wellbeing.
Benefits of scheme:
- Reduces traffic congestion on Old Nangor Road and thus increases safety for students commuting.
- Encourages cycling and walking to be chosen as the method of commuting for students of Coláiste Chilliain
Survey:
Students of Coláiste Chilliain and their parents were surveyed to gauge what kind of transport was most used for morning commutes and to get feedback on the catchment of the school on what can be changed to allow safe active travel commutes to and from school. The key results from this survey were as follows:
- From the survey results it is observed that the most common form of transport on these commutes were car (66%) and one of the least popular forms of transport was walking (6%).
- In terms of ‘How we would like to travel’, a shift can be seen in the results with 27% of participants answering car, 27% of participants answering walk and 27% of participants answering cycle.
- Some of the most popular reasons why participants didn’t cycle or walk included: needing to drive somewhere else after (54%), too much pressure in morning to accommodate the walk (31%) and not safe to walk/cycle (20%).
- Some general feedback gained from the survey includes: Respondents highlighted opportunities for connective active mobility infrastructure in the laneways near the school and along Old Nangor road in particular and that there is bad rush hour traffic.
The new features incorporated to our School Zone includes:
- Colourful school railing themes as four seasons and pencil tops to bright up the front of school environment.
- Colourful road markings to indicate to drivers that they are in a school zone.
Some specific works that were done to ensure inclusivity for all in the Safe Routes to School Programme were the erection of footpath between Old Nangor Road and the Car Park on entrance to Clondalkin Leisure Centre and the installation of Disabled access footpaths.
Park and Stride
Park and Stride is an initiative that coincides with the works done in the Safe Routes To School scheme. The initiative involves parking up to a 10-minute walk away from the school and walking the rest of the way. Park and Stride reduces traffic congestion at the front of school which in turn reduces the risk of accidents and improves air quality. It also frees up space and creates a calmer space at the front of school for all students.
The consultation for this project was open from 22/04/2022 to 27/05/2022 and is now closed but can be viewed here