Hartstown Kids Get Safe School Zone at St Philip the Apostle

The pupils, teachers and parents of St Philip the Apostle Junior and Senior National Schools in Hartstown have a special reason to celebrate this week. Fingal County Council, with funding from the National Transport Authority, has just completed work on a ‘School Zone’ at their campus.

This first School Zone in Dublin 15 has now been delivered by Fingal County Council’s Department of Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel with the key objective of improving safety for every child on their way to school at St. Philip the Apostle. Fingal County Council say road safety in the area surrounding primary and secondary schools is a topic they are determined to address.

Figures from the National Transport Authority reveal that 60% of primary school children are driven to school, a number almost triple what it was a generation ago. The front of school is where children congregate in the greatest numbers and where they are most vulnerable to poor parking practices, hazardous crossing conditions and air quality issues caused by idling cars. 

School Zones discourage vehicle drop off in this critical area and instead encourage active travel as an alternative. The school zone forces parents and caregivers to move their vehicles away from the school gate reducing risk of accident and injury to children. School Zones also signal that active travel is the preferred mode of travel to the school and clearly indicate to all drivers that they are approaching a school and must drive with caution.

At St Philip the Apostle, the School Zones treatment includes a new zebra crossing, coloured road surfaces for cycle lanes, addition of retractable bollards and flexible ‘school pencil’ bollards and creation of pavement level evergreen ‘rain gardens’ to encourage sustainable drainage. This is the first School Zone in Ireland to be delivered in line with the Safe Routes to School Design Guide from the National Transport Authority.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Howard Mahony said ‘It is so important that children can travel to school safely and enjoy some independence on that journey. School Zones like the one implemented at St Philip the Apostle allow children to arrive to school by bike, by scooter or on foot instead of cooped up in the car. Projects like this demonstrate that measures to slow traffic and prioritise pedestrians can also deliver fun and attractive environments with the lovely rain gardens and distinctive pencil bollards here giving the children something very special to enjoy every day.’

Minster Roderic O’Gorman said ‘It’s wonderful to see the impact this new School Zone is having at St Philip the Apostle. Creating a safe learning environment starts at the school gate and by providing an inviting, clean air space that is designed to protect the health of every child we are showing them that we care about their future.’

The School Zone is just one feature of a wider programme of works recently completed in the Hartstown & Huntstown area where 5km of protected cycle lanes with distinctive red coloured surfaces for maximum visibility, upgrades to the junctions, pavements and pedestrian crossing, and a new raised zebra crossing all contribute to a safer cycling and walking environment for the community. 

David Storey, Director of Environment, Climate Action and Action Travel at Fingal County Council said: ‘Making Active Travel the convenient choice for journeys under 5km is a key objective for Fingal County Council and being able to walk or wheel to school will now be a much safer and easier choice for families making their way to school each day. We know that children really enjoy cycling and scooting with their friends, and teachers tell us they arrive to class more alert and engaged leading to better learning outcomes too. We are looking forward to working with more Fingal area schools in the coming year to deliver School Zones and other solutions suited to their unique needs.’

Andrew Bagnall of the National Transport Authority said ‘The National Transport Authority takes our responsibility to provide children and their families with peace of mind on the journey to school, very seriously. We’re working with local authorities around the country to implement vital safety improvements and make it possible for children to enjoy Active Travel to school.’

To learn more about the work that Fingal County Council undertake with schools on Active Travel and road safety visit https://www.fingal.ie/activetravel/roadsafety