Twenty-Seven Schools Across Tipperary Make Walking Their Main Mode of Transport for ‘National Walk to School Week 2024’

Children walking to school for ‘National Walk to School Week’

Today marks Green Schools’ National Walk to School Week 2024. For the next five days, pupils and teachers in twenty-seven schools across Tipperary have taken the challenge to make walking their main mode of transportation to and from school.  

This initiative was set up to promote active transport, healthy living and to create sustainable solutions to traffic congestion which is often a huge problem near schools across the country. The Green Schools’ Travel Programme also focuses on how using less vehicular transport can make a huge difference in the environment for our own health and the benefit of wildlife around us.  

Throughout ‘National Walk to School Week’, Green Schools’ Officers will carry out climate workshops and walkability audits providing knowledge to students and teachers on how to change their habits for the betterment of their school environment.  

Although the programme is encouraging as many students and teachers as possible to walk to school this week, they have also considered that this is not always possible due to dangerous roads with no footpaths, distance or other circumstances which may prevent people from making the journey on foot. For this reason, Park & Stride is also being encouraged as an alternative to walking the full distance.  

The main feature of ‘National Walk to School Week 2024’ will come on Wednesday. This is known as ‘Walk on Wednesday’ and on this day schools are given the opportunity to win prizes by recording the number of people walking or participating in park & stride in their school. This will also be recorded as part of data for the whole county with a chance of putting Tipperary at the top of the county leaderboard for the week.  

The positive changes promoted by the Green Schools Initiative in ‘National Walk to School Week’ aim to make active travel to school safe and more enjoyable for primary and secondary schools countrywide. Speaking about the importance of ‘National Walk to School Week, Manager of the Green Schools Travel Programme, Allison Phillips said:  

“Walk to School Week is about celebrating what’s great about walking, wheeling, or parking & striding to school: more time for families together in the morning; social time and independence for young people before school; and students arriving to school happier and more alert. But we do need everyone’s help in these initiatives: Drivers, please slow down outside schools, and park responsibly, being mindful of young people and those with accessibility requirements. Finally, turn off your engine when parked to protect young lungs and the air we all breathe. This helps to create a happy, healthier, front of school environment.”