‘My heart is in my mouth’ — Tipperary councillor voices fears over school cycling safety
A Tipperary councillor has welcomed a scheme encouraging children to cycle to school, but says she fears for her daughter’s safety every morning she cycles.
Following a presentation from members of the Tipperary Sports Partnership at the June monthly meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District, independent councillor Pamela Quirke O’Meara said that the speed and care of drivers on Tipperary’s roads fills her with fear everytime her daughter cycles to school.
“The cycle to school scheme is very welcomed, and it’s fantastic to see children cycling to school, but unfortunately, as a mother, when I send my daughter off in the mornings, my heart is in my mouth until she gets to the school.
“Roads are so dangerous, I think it’s the most dangerous thing when you leave your house in the morning and using our road network,” Cllr Quirke O’Meara said.
The Safe Routes to School scheme encourages pupils to travel actively by providing schools with resources and promoting safer cycling.
The independent councillor said that previous generations didn’t have to worry so much about road safety, and it was a shame that kids these days don’t have the same experience.
“I used to cycle 12 miles to school every day - and I actually sound like my father or grandfather saying that - but I remember it was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of growing up.
“It’s a shame to see that these days, road users don’t have respect for cyclists in many places. I know people are under a lot of time constraints in the mornings, but when these initiatives are out there, and we’re doing so well to publicise it through the schools, it’s just very concerning as a parent,” Cllr Quirke O’Meara added.
“You really feel like you’re just taking the chance when you send your child off to cycle to school, so I’d like to highlight that to road users,” she said.
The concerns prompted a response from members of the Tipperary Sports Partnership, who said they would raise the issue with the council’s roads section.
“I know there is an element of safety in the cycle to school scheme and we will feed those concerns back in consultation with the roads section,” the meeting was told.