Pupil survey shows not one child cycles to Barntown school

Not one single pupil in Barntown cycles to school, members of Wexford Bicycle Users Group were informed by an 11-year old girl who is campaigning for safe cycle lanes.

Caoilfhionn Roche was invited to a meeting of WexBUG after writing a letter to local councillors complaining about a lack of adequate cycle paths.

At the meeting, she outlined the results of a recent survey she conducted of 151 2nd to sixth class pupils in her school, Barntown N.S. revealing that currently not one child among them cycles to school, although 71% would like to and 141 pupils own a bicycle.

When it comes to travelling to secondary school, Caoilfhionn’s results showed that only three intend to travel by bicycle but 22 would like to do so.

‘When we asked what barriers there are, the key one was lack of safe infrastructure along with associated parental fear’ said WexBug chairman Phil skelton.

‘This backs up WexBug’s own poll showing that 95% of Wexford parents were too frightened to allow their children to cycle on the road.’

‘There is a clear need for cycling infrastructure to allow these children to cycle and it’s important that in light of Wexford County Council having declared a climate emergency last year that this is not seen as virtue signalling. Transport pollution is a major cause of carbon emissions and these children clearly want to play their part but currently it’s not safe’, he said.

He cited a report issued by the Road Safety Authority last week on the 1056 cyclists injured in collisions in 2018, over half of whom were injured at junctions. More cyclists were injured during morning and evening commutes.

‘There is now a clear recognition that segregated cycling infrastructure is of paramount importance to cycling safety and local authorities such as Wexford County Council need to get on the same page.’

‘We at WexBug are trying our best to get conditions improved for everyday cycling in county. We live in a county starved of dedicated connected cycling infrastructure’, said the WexBug chairman.