Road Safety
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-21
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Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this matter. To be fair to the Senator, he has been a proponent of the safe routes to school scheme for some time. This is my third or fourth time here to discuss with him the issue of safe routes to school.
I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. There is merit in the suggestions the Senator made. I affirm the Government's strong commitment to active travel. A total of €360 million per annum has been earmarked for the development of walking and cycling facilities, which amounts to a €1.8 billion investment between now and the end of the decade, building on over €1 billion already invested since 2021. This significant investment has delivered nearly 1,100 km of new walking and cycling infrastructure, alongside hundreds of junction upgrades and additional pedestrian crossings, as well as supporting the very successful safe routes to schools initiative.
The Senator quite rightly raised the issue of safety concerns, which are consistently raised as the main barrier to children walking or cycling to school. Parents and guardians often highlight the speed of vehicles, traffic congestion, the absence of footpaths and the lack of safe crossing points as the reasons they choose to drive their children to school instead of having them walk or cycle.
As the Senator articulated, the safe routes to school initiative was launched in 2021 with the aim of promoting the provision of infrastructure interventions, which the Senator just discussed. Over 900 schools signed up to take part in the initiative. There are currently 526 schools across all 31 local authorities actively engaged in the scheme.
I, too, pay tribute to Councillors Callaghan, Duffy, Conboy and my good friend Dominick Connolly, a long-time councillor in Roscommon. They have been very strong in support of the work that Senator Scahill and I have been doing with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, in the Department of Transport. To date, 172 schools have completed their works, while a further 31 schools are under construction, with many more progressing through design and statutory approval.
I assure the Senator that I look forward to going back to meet with his colleagues in Roscommon County Council to discuss the matter further.
The data from participating schools shows clear behavioural change, with marked increases in walking and cycling levels along with reduction in car use at the school gate. Our overarching aim is to ease congestion and improve air quality, which allows us to build better physical activity into the children's lives. It is also about the long-term economic benefit and the safety piece. The Senator is right that there is a waiting list.
The scheme, in terms of specific interventions in rural and higher-speed rural environments, focuses on speed reduction, improved driver awareness and school visibility. Early trials have shown that there have been speed reductions of approximately 9% at these locations, which is a huge improvement in safety for all people.
The overarching point we are making is that the money invested reflects the advancing scale and maturity of the programme. The median cost, as we say, is quite high at €380,000 but there are variations depending on the location of the school. I am sure Councillor Connolly will definitely have me down to Roscommon with Senator Scahill to advocate for this. There is no better than the Fine Gael group there that the Senator has worked very strongly with.
The scheme is highly cost effective for two reasons. First, the interventions are targeted and of a relatively low cost. For example, a well-designed crossing or traffic calming measure can be delivered with modest capital investment, yet it fundamentally transforms the space around the school. Second, the scheme is co-ordinated by An Taisce, which does not apply any profit or markup for its contribution. Taken together, this represents excellent value for money.
I look forward to working with the Senator on ensuring the benefits of the safe routes to schools are extended to other schools and far beyond the school gate and that we increase the delivery. I will revert to the Senator in a moment with a couple of other points.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-21