Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

​I fully recognise the importance of the provision of walking and cycling infrastructure which supports sustainable travel to schools and colleges.  The Deputy will recall that the precise targets set out in the Smarter Travel policy and the National Cycle Policy Framework were largely predicated on the availability of the substantial funding which did not transpire because of the significant scaling back in overall public investment in response to the economic and fiscal crises.  Nevertheless, despite this, considerable progress has been made and continues to be made to provide the infrastructure and other interventions to enable and support children and students to travel to schools and third level colleges in a sustainable way.

My Department has adopted a multi-programme approach in addressing this issue.  Investment has been made in the delivery of programmes such as Active Travel Towns and Smarter Travel Demonstration Areas, to fund the building of infrastructure with a particular focus on the delivery of walking and cycling routes in the environs of local schools.

The Department also provides funding to the National Transport Authority for the development of sustainable transport infrastructure within the regional cities and the GDA, through the Sustainable Measures Grants and Regional Cities Programmes, part of which addresses improvements to cycling and walking to schools and colleges.

Investment has also been made in promotional programmes such as the Workplace and Campus Travel and Green School Travel Programmes to encourage children, their parents and other students to travel more sustainably.  The Workplace and Campus Travel Programme targets third level institutions to encourage students and staff to use sustainable modes of transport. The Green-Schools Programme encourages and supports primary and secondary schools to use sustainable transport as a means of travel to school. Green Schools Travel Officers also continually work very closely with Local Authorities and the Road Safety Authorty to identify gaps in the provision of infrastructure and other barriers to enabling children to travel to school either by walking or cycling.  The Department also separately funds cycle parking in schools.

A new cycling training standard, Cycle Right, is currently being rolled out across the country to provide a standardised training programme for all school-going children to provide them with the necessary skills to cycle safely including cycling to school. It is in all our interests to continue to encourage children, their parents and students to use more sustainable forms of transport.