School safety works clustered in East Cork
As Cork County Council launched the first ‘Safe School Zone’ for County Cork in Bandon this month, it brought to attention the fact that the schools funded under the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) scheme are within a small catchment area.
Of the 10 schools that received funding under the SRTS Programme within Cork, four are in Cobh, three in Bandon and the remainder less than 30 miles from one another in Crosshaven, Midleton and Belgooly.
Of the eight that got funding in Limerick, they are all located in the city. Two schools in Tipperary were funded, both in Clonmel, while the four in Waterford are within 33 miles of one another, from the city to Dungarvan.
Since the scheme was announced in March last year, 932 schools applied for funding, of which 170 were successful in round one. The department has tagged certain schools that were unsuccessful as ‘subsequent’, and these schools will be “engaged with on a rolling basis in each Local Authority.”
The recent school safety works witnessed in Mitchelstown were undertaken by Cork County Council under a different scheme, the 2021 Safety Improvement Scheme from the Department of Transport and an Active Travel allocation from the National Transport Authority. Brigown Road, which many of the CBS Primary School children use to access their school, is now adorned with unmistakable red-coated speed ramps, a pedestrian crossing and pencil bollards to slow down motorists.
The SRTS Programme assessed schools on a number of criteria, including location (mix of urban and rural), socio-economic mix (a mix of DEIS and non-DEIS schools) and the schools ‘commitment to sustainable travel’. The awarding criteria also states that preference will be given to a ‘cluster of schools’, that are on the same street, or section of road.
The first Safe School Zone, in Scoil Phádraig Naofa in Bandon, was officially launched earlier this month by the County Mayor, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton.