Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has called for tax incentives to be given to parents purchasing bicycles for their children to cycle to school.
Senator O’Loughlin said; “Now more than ever, we are encouraging children to cycle to school wherever possible. It’s a great start to the day for young people to travel in the fresh air rather than on a school bus or further clogging up the roads going by car.”
“The Cycle to Work scheme has proven very successful and I am calling for the roll-out of a similar scheme for Cycling to School.”
Senator O’Loughlin also called for small grants to be given to schools in conjunction with their local authority to provide bicycle shelters to protect student bikes from weather related damage.
“Towns and villages around the country are experiencing really heavy volumes of traffic at school drop-off and collection times, creating gridlock for all road users. A Cycle to School Scheme would assist parents in facilitating their children going to school by bicycle rather than car. Good quality bike shelters would be an added incentive and I hope the suggestions will be given serious consideration,” concluded Senator O’Loughlin.
