Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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134. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will extend the active travel scheme to include active travel measures to be carried out at schools located in rural areas which do not have a reduced speed limit but would benefit enormously if they could qualify for the scheme. [60189/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport I have responsibility for funding and overall policy in relation to Active Travel . The NTA are responsible for working with local authorities to identify suitable projects to include in the Active Travel programme and overseeing their delivery. In 2021 the NTA expanded the Active Travel programme to include dedicated funding for counties outside the Greater Dublin Area. This funding is now mainstreamed and the total allocation of €289 million is split between all 31 local authorities. 

In March 2021, I launched the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programme as a response to the need to improve safety at the ‘front of school’ environment and enhance access to school grounds. The programme aims to support walking, scooting and cycling to primary and post-primary schools and to create safer walking and cycling routes within communities. This will help alleviate congestion at school gates and increase the number of students who walk or cycle to school by providing the necessary infrastructure. 

The Programme is funded by my Department through the National Transport Authority (NTA) and is supported by the Department of Education. An Taisce’s Green-Schools is coordinating the programme, while funding will be made available to local authorities who will play a key part in delivering the infrastructure along access routes and at the school gate.

All schools in the state were eligible to apply to the programme and information was circulated in March 2021 from the Departments of Education and Transport to schools nationwide. By the deadline of 16 April 2021, 931 applications had been received from schools in every county in Ireland.

Due to the overwhelming response to the programme (almost 1/4 of schools in Ireland have applied), there are no plans for an additional call for schools to join the SRTS programme at this time. Schools outside of the programme may contact the relevant Local Authority regarding specific safety or infrastructure issues at their school. Information on what schools can do to support active travel is contained in the NTA’s Toolkit for School Travel.