Cork Greenmap

Parents at the Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn  in Mayfield, with support from Cork Greenmap and the City Council, are taking to the streets, taking positive action to tackle traffic congestion and hazards at the school gates.

Anyone coming close to school gates at the beginning or end of a school day knows how chaotic it can be. In a hurry to drop their kids on the way to work, parents park wherever they can in the heavy traffic surrounding the school. As well as increasing the risk of accidents, the resulting congestion also increases air pollution and stress.

In an effort to alleviate some of these pressures, the school has joined forces with Cork Greenmap volunteers to organise a walking initiative based on the tried and tested idea of the ‘Walking Bus’. The “bus,” organised and supervised by parents, picks children up as it “walks” to school along a pre-arranged route. As well as being a fun, safe and active way for children to travel to school, taking part in a ‘walking bus’ can improve children’s health, increase their road safety skills, and benefit the environment.  It moves towards sustainable transport, reducing local traffic congestion and air pollution. It also benefits the local community, empowering the local children and parents to actively engage in improving their area.

Cork Greenmap is playing a supporting role in this project as part of an ongoing programme of promoting sustainable living solutions in Cork.  Following on from a series of mapping workshops with pupils and meetings with parents, Sophie Le Roch, Project Coordinator with Cork Greenmap, said: “Kids and parents alike are responsive to the idea of walking to school and are very enthusiastic about the project”.

And enthusiastic they are! Impatient to get started, organisers have decided to mark the coming Earth Day, on the 22nd of April, with a special ‘Walk to School’ event. They are inviting pupils and their parents in Mayfield and beyond to make a special effort to walk to school on the 22nd to enjoy what ‘walking parent’ Fergal Carton  describes as “this unique moment of the day where you can have a chat with your kids without the distraction of TV or the stress of driving.”

The Walking Bus in Mayfield will be the first of its kind to be run in Cork and it is hoped that many more schools and parents will follow suit. Successful walking buses are taking off around the country.  Walking your child to school is a small, simple step you can take to benefit your family’s health, your environment, and your community. So take the initiative, and get on the walking bus.