Schools in Mayo town to launch 'Park and Stride' scheme

Schools in the town of Castlebar are set to launch a 'Park and Stride' scheme.

Park and Stride means leaving the car about 10 minutes walk from the school gate and making the last leg of the journey to school on foot.

For parents or grandparents doing the walk to and from the car, that’s 15–20 minutes towards the recommended 30 minutes of physical exercise we should all be doing every day.

Mayo County Council is working in partnership with schools in Castlebar and local businesses to seek your support for this scheme.

Why Park and Stride?

Regular physical activity is important from an early age to promote good physical and mental health — the school journey is a great time to start the habit, even if your family needs to travel to school by car.

It’s not just the kids who’ll be getting fresh air, a stretch of their legs and some time to chat with their favourite people, you’ll be getting some exercise too!

Children who are active on the commute have higher levels of concentration in the classroom.

Traffic danger is the most common reason cited by parents for not allowing their children to walk or cycle to school but, ironically, by driving children to school we contribute to traffic, thus reducing our children’s safety.

Park and Stride is good for the wider school community too — less traffic outside the school gate means less interaction with cars for young children trying to cross roads, less fumes and pollution from cars idling, and access for those who really need to park near the school gate for mobility or health reasons.

Where can I park?

Castlebar Municipal District is supporting Park and Stride by allowing parents/guardians to use their car parks free of charge (where charges normally apply) for a short period of time while they walk their child to school.

Councillor Ger Deere has welcomed the initiative and hopes it will be embraced by the community going forward.