Parents urged to send pupils to school on foot or by bike

Parents in Tuam have been urged to send their children to school either by walking or the bike as the town has become pedestrian friendly in recent months.

It has been suggested that Galway County Council should now provide cycle lanes in the centre of Tuam to accommodate students and pupils attending the many second level and primary schools in the town.

Recent months have seen new pedestrian crossings provided in the centre of the town while footpaths have also been widened.

These have slowed traffic down through the town centre at peak times – and that has now resulted in calls for parents to either walk their children to school or encourage them to cycle.

The call has been made by a local independent councillor, Cllr. Shaun Cunniffe, who has welcomed the traffic calming measures in Tuam. He said that it had stopped speeding on some of the main streets of the town.

However, some motorists are frustrated over the fact that there are tailbacks at peak times through the streets of the town centre which are mainly caused by the new pedestrian crossings.

Cllr. Cunniffe said that it was Galway County Council policy to slow down traffic in town centres and this was something that had now been achieved in Tuam.

“I know some motorists are not happy but it has now become a pedestrian-friendly town centre and hopefully this will reduce the amount of traffic and that more pedestrians and cyclists make their presence felt.

“It would be great to see more parents walking their children to primary school while students attending secondary school from the locality could cycle. I will be pushing for cycle lanes to be provided.

“Tuam has become pedestrian friendly even if some motorists are frustrated at the new crossings. And it might encourage parents to provide a healthier access to school for their children,” Cllr. Cunniffe added.

Galway County Council has already identified a problem with so many parents bringing their children to school by car and often clogging up one of the main roads where the schools are located. The matter will now come before September’s meeting of the Tuam Municipal Authority.