*Gort Community School students.
STUDENTS at Gort Community School are leading a campaign for a new walk and cycle lane along the busy Ennis and Galway road, stretching from Shanaglish to Ardrahan.
According to the students the route poses a serious risk to pedestrians and cyclists, especially to students who travel it daily. It connects six primary schools, several GAA pitches, town halls, and the town of Gort itself.
The students argue that the road’s narrow layout, lack of footpaths and heavy traffic make it unsafe for anyone not travelling by car.
They’re calling on Galway County Council to prioritise safer, more inclusive infrastructure that allows students and residents to walk or cycle without fear.
Over the past year, the students have gathered more than 1,000 signatures from members of the community, reflecting strong local support for the proposal. The campaign’s plan would provide a dedicated walk and cycle lane along the R458, linking schools and amenities used by over 2,000 students and nearly 3,000 local residents.
The campaign began when Gort Community School student Clara Blodau decided to speak out after realising just how unsafe her journey to school had become. “Cycling makes me feel good. The fresh air blowing in my face, the rush of excitement zooming along our beautiful country lanes in hot pursuit of my little brother, is magical,” she explained. “The exercise and fresh air before a long day of school put me in a good mood for the rest of the day with a positive mindset and better concentration made school so much more fun”.
Due to constant safety concerns from the busy roads leaving Clara feeling vulnerable, she stopped cycling to school, much like her fellow students.
After realising the extent of the safety concerns on her local roads Clara began to contact councillors, the Gardaí, and other stakeholders to collect ideas, information and discuss possible solutions.
In her research Clara found that cycling is much less common in Ireland in comparison to other European countries. “Nearly half of the population of the Netherlands and over one third of the population of Denmark, Finland and Hungary cycle every day. Meanwhile, 82% of adults in Ireland rarely or never cycle at all”.
Clara attributes this statistic due to the design of Irish roads.
She explained that Ireland’s roads have long been designed with cars in mind, leaving little room or protection for cyclists. The country’s narrow, rural routes make cycling feel unsafe for most people.
In April Clara met senator P.J. Murphy (FG) and Cllr. Paul Killelea (FG) to look at the proposed route of the walk/cycle lane. The councillors agreed that the road was much too dangerous for cyclists or pedestrians.
She then presented the proposal for this cycle lane at the Loughrea Municipal District meeting in May. All councillors were in full agreement that the road was in need of safety amendments.
“They voiced their full support of the proposal but made it clear that funding and the engineering aspect would be a key issue in its implementation. I would like to express my gratitude towards Cllrs. Martina Kinane, Geraldine Donohue and all attending councillors for their work and support” said Clara.
In addition to this campaign the students the group has begun mapping the backroads in the area which most students would use to access Gort.
They plan to present our results to the County Council and propose to take appropriate action to turn these into quiet roads to make them safer for everyone.
“Our long-term goal is to promote cycling in our area for all its benefits; from getting out into the fresh air with friends and family to enjoying our countryside and staying fit and healthy to using a more sustainable mode of transport. These roads are for everyone,” says Clara.
Gort Community School are currently involved with the “An Taisce, #andshecycles campaign” and are enrolled in the “Safe Routes to Schools programme” to promote cycling and to improve the safety of students travelling to school.
Clara and the students of the Gort Community School are thankful to their supportive community especially to Megan Dixon Flynn, Paula Gallagher, Kathleen Bell and Síle Ginnane whose work and help have led the project. They also appreciate all of the help and support given to them by their principal Brian Crossan and all teachers involved.
