52 per cent increase in numbers of children cycling to school in the last year.

[alonso]

National “Walk to School” and “Walk on Wednesday” initiatives – part of An Taisce’s Green Schools Travel programme – are to take place next week.

According to An Taisce growing interest among parents and schoolchildren in the Walk to School on Wednesday initiative, provided the impetus for a week long promotion of sustainable travel for children.

Data collected by the organisation from 18,000 school children in the Dublin region showed a 52 per cent increase in numbers of children cycling to school in the last year.

In the same period there was a 31 per cent increase in the numbers of children walking and an 18 per cent reduction in the numbers being brought to school by car

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Children encouraged to walk to school - The Irish Times - Thu, May 14, 2009

Welcome trends but much work remains to be done, especially considering "Some 55,000 children are driven less than 2 kilometres to school."

[joemomma]

Terrific news, it was all going the other way for so long.

[birthday]

Is this really true?
I seem to see more enormous SUVs each day stretching further down the road outside school than last year.
Maybe its just where I live

[riven]

A 52% increase on what is a very small number is not much to celebrate.

[alonso]

true. But it's a start and it was seen as an intractable problem which constituted a vicious circle - too much traffic, not safe, won't let my kid cycle - driver my kid to school - more traffic, less safe, etc etc

[Middleaged]

A 52% increase on what is a very small number is not much to celebrate.

It could and should be higher, but try and cycle in Ireland, Russian roulette is safer.

We have a cycle lane all the way to both schools, truck's and cars seem to ignore them, and the two most dangerous stretches don't have the lane's.....

[True Republican]

It will need to be a 452% increase in the number of kids cycling to school.