09/10/2025
Active Travel Programme Sees Significance Fall In Car Journeys
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins visited St Mary's on the Hill Primary School in Glengormley on Wednesday, 8 October 2025, to see pupils take part in the Active School Travel Programme.
The programme, a joint initiative between the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency (PHA), is delivered by the charity Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly known as Sustrans). It aims to encourage more children to walk, wheel, or cycle to school to improve health, reduce congestion, and lower carbon emissions.
Minister Kimmins praised the pupils, calling them "champions" and saying she was "very impressed with the cycling skills on display".
"The Programme helps to increase the number of children who regularly walk, wheel or cycle to school, reaping the positive health and wellbeing benefits that active travel can bring," she stated.
The visit highlighted the significant success of the school's involvement in the scheme.
Claire Pollock, Head of Walk Wheel Cycle Trust in Northern Ireland, said the programme is the "only project tackling the school run in Northern Ireland" and has proven its success over the last ten years.
After just two years in the programme, the number of pupils travelling actively increased from 40% to 68%.
The number of pupils being driven to school by car reduced from 60% to 32%.
David Tumilty, Senior Health Improvement Manager at the PHA, stressed the health benefits. "Regular physical activity like cycling also helps children arrive at school more alert, focused, and ready to learn, which can have a positive impact on their performance in the classroom," he said.
The visit comes just ahead of Cycle to School Week (13–17 October), which schools across the country are encouraged to mark. The Active School Travel Programme is currently funded at £0.5 million per year, split equally between the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency.
The programme, a joint initiative between the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency (PHA), is delivered by the charity Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly known as Sustrans). It aims to encourage more children to walk, wheel, or cycle to school to improve health, reduce congestion, and lower carbon emissions.
Minister Kimmins praised the pupils, calling them "champions" and saying she was "very impressed with the cycling skills on display".
"The Programme helps to increase the number of children who regularly walk, wheel or cycle to school, reaping the positive health and wellbeing benefits that active travel can bring," she stated.
The visit highlighted the significant success of the school's involvement in the scheme.
After just two years in the programme, the number of pupils travelling actively increased from 40% to 68%.
The number of pupils being driven to school by car reduced from 60% to 32%.
David Tumilty, Senior Health Improvement Manager at the PHA, stressed the health benefits. "Regular physical activity like cycling also helps children arrive at school more alert, focused, and ready to learn, which can have a positive impact on their performance in the classroom," he said.
The visit comes just ahead of Cycle to School Week (13–17 October), which schools across the country are encouraged to mark. The Active School Travel Programme is currently funded at £0.5 million per year, split equally between the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.