Website  http://www.dublincity.ie

Contacts:

 
HSE North Eastern Region Coordinator 
servicing people in Cavan, Monaghan, Meath and Louth
Address: Health Promotion Department, Railway St., Navan, Co. Meath
Tel. Number: 046-9076400
email: physical.activity@maile.hse.ie

National Coordinator and Contact 
Dublin City Council
website: http://www.dublincity.ie
email: roadsafety@dublincity.ie

Summary:

 
New for 2003: For this year's IWTSD, we organized bus advertising to try and encourage more parents and children to participate. All our efforts this year were concentrated on the event in October. We did a mail shot to all the 360 schools in the city in addition to sending out information to all city and county council's in the country.

2002: In May 2002 Dublin City Council and Barnardos - (The Childrens Charity) and Irish Life Assurance Company (located in Dublin) joined forces to encourage parents and pupils to consider other modes of transport for getting to school other than by car.

School runs in Dublin City account for more than 20% of morning rush hour traffic and nearly all of that traffic will for the most part be parked outside schools causing traffic congestion and pollution. In addition drivers sometimes fail to see the need to provide safe access for pupils crossing near the school gate. The aim of this years project was to create a greater awareness among rents/drivers of the health benefits ot walking and cycling to and from School.

Parents and Children were encouraged to walk to and from School each day or if that was not possible make and effort to walk one or two days per week.

Alternatively in the interest of safety in the vicinity of the School Gate Drivers were asked to park away from the school gate and walk at least part of the journey.

One third of Dublin's Primary Schools participated in "Operation FEET" otherwise known as (Walk to School Week) which took place from Monday 20th May, 2002 - Friday 24th May, 2002. Over 5,000 Children participated in the initative which was an all time high record of participation since the initative began in 1999. An estimated 200 cars per day were taken off Dublin's Roads as a result of the weeklong initative. Despite heavy rainfall in Dublin during "Operation FEET over 200 schools participated.