Green pupils adopt car-free habit

NEARLY 100 people will take to the streets of Ennistymon on two wheels this Friday as part of a Green Schools initiative, which could see the convoy becoming a regular occurrence.
In the biggest event of its kind in the county, 90 pupils and staff of Ennistymon Vocational School will undertake a 12km cycle around the North Clare town in an effort to find a safe route to cycle to school.
“This is the biggest event we have done with teenagers. Studies have found that they are the least active of every group in society and there are huge issues around fitness and teenagers, so this is one way of tackling it,” explained Róisín Ní Ghairbhith, green schools travel education officer.
The idea behind the cycle is to show pupils safe routes to school, the cycling possibilities in the area around the school, show them their ability to cycle some distance, encourage them to get fit and show them the bike is a mode of transport.
“I have been working with the school for the last two years helping them on their fourth green flag, which is the travel flag that encourages pupils, staff and parents to walk, cycle, car-pool, park ‘n’ stride or use public transport on the school run. I have done a cyclability audit on the area using the backroads. The idea is that if people get to know their roads, they might discover safer roads to travel rather than the main route,” Ms Ní Ghairbhith continued.
In preparation for the event, the teenagers have had cycle training, off-road training as well as bike repair and maintenance workshops.
“Ennistymon Vocational School is on its fourth green flag, the travel flag so it is one of the best schools in the county with regard to pursuing and promoting the green schools programme and encouraging pupils to be physically active as well. It is really important that teenagers get other habits when it comes to transport. It shouldn’t be that when you are 17, the first thing you want to do is drive a car, with oil prices the way they are and peak oil, that might not be an option for them in the future so it is good to have some car-free habits,” Ms Ní Ghairbhith concluded.
By September last year, the total number of schools participating in the Green Schools Travel Programme was more than 850, consisting of over 180,000 pupils. The cycle takes place on Friday at 9.30am.