Arrive at school ‘education-ready’ on the Cycle Bus

It’s 8:05am on a crisp spring morning in Galway City. Mounted on their pint-sized bicycles, a group of young, rosy-cheeked children gather at the designated meeting point on Dr Mannix Road, sporting vibrant, hi-vis safety vests and cartoon-covered school bags.

As more children arrive, the sound of chattering, giggling and the tinkling of bells fills the air. Grown-ups by their sides, they wait with excitement and anticipation for their morning adventure to begin.

The road is assessed, safety checks are completed and instructions are explained, and at 8:12 am, the Cycle Bus sets off for Scoil Fhursa and Scoil Iognáid in Galway City, with Michelle Smyth at the helm.

Michelle is a parent and a volunteer marshal on the Salthill route of the Galway Cycle Bus.

No safe cycle route

“There’s no safe cycle route from Salthill to town, so our main goal is to get the kids cycling to school safely,” says Michelle. “We’re also reducing cars on the road while commuting in a sustainable way, and we’re empowering kids with a little independence, all while having fun.”

Founded in September 2022, the Salthill route, running from Árus Bothar na Trá on Dr Mannix Road to the two city schools, has quickly grown to a fully-fledged Cycle Bus, operating three mornings a week, with an average of 30 parents, kids, and volunteers participating each morning.

The Salthill route is a spin-off of the original Cycle Bus in Knocknacarra, founded by Alan Curran and Nessa Bheilbigh in 2017. It is one of many spin-off groups in Galway working closely with their Knocknacarra mentors to make cycling safer for our children.

Despite the apparent success of the Cycle Bus, Michelle is frustrated that there are still no safe cycling routes for the children.

A moving cycle lane

“The Cycle Bus operates like a moving cycle lane, with the children protected by a row of adults cycling on the outside,” says Michelle. “But in an ideal world, the roads would be safe with adequate cycling infrastructure in place, and the marshals wouldn’t need to chaperone the children.”

Unfortunately, the likelihood of the Cycle Bus riders enjoying the benefits of a segregated cycle path on their school commute any time soon is pretty remote.

According to a spokesperson for Galway City Council, “the Dr Mannix Road Active Travel project will be examined after the Bothar Stiofáin and Clybaun Road Active Travel projects in Knocknacarra are developed”.  The Bothar Stiofáin Active Travel project is currently progressing through the planning consent process.

Since each Active Travel initiative is required to navigate the planning consent process and relies on the availability of funding for its construction phase, it looks like it will be a long time before the Salthill Cycle Bus will be in a position to operate without adult supervision.

While the Cycle Bus volunteers remain dedicated in their advocacy for safer cycling paths for children across Galway, their enthusiasm for the Cycle Bus initiative also remains unwavering. And it’s easy to see why.
​
The joy the Cycle Bus brings the children is evident to participants and onlookers alike. 

Great excitement

“There’s great excitement when the participants meet at the Árus,” says Michelle. “It’s clear how excited the children are about seeing their ‘cycle friends’ again, figuring out who will get a turn up the front and wondering which friends will join them at the various pick-up locations along the route that day. So the sense of community and connection is second to none.”

And the benefits continue into the school day.

As a teacher herself, and from speaking with teachers at the schools on the Cycle Bus routes, Michelle knows that children who cycle to school arrive more alert with higher concentration and energy levels. According to Michelle, they arrive ‘education-ready’, and there are a few reasons for this.

“Exercise regulates their nervous system, so they’re more relaxed when they arrive at school,” explains Michelle. “But they’re also emotionally regulated, simply from having spent time outdoors in nature and being a part of a community.”

Michelle says travelling from one place to another gives children a sense of place. Not only do the children understand where they live and where their school is in relation to their home, but they also absorb a wealth of knowledge about nature and the seasons along the way without even realising it.

“As a child, you start to learn that September is still quite warm,” she says. “You cycle over leaves and notice they’ve changed colour. As you move into October and November, it gets a little cooler. You need your gloves and have to turn on your lights.

“When the children experience this first hand, they never have to learn it. They know it. And this applies to road safety and working as a team too, all while in the safe environment of the Cycle Bus.”

A self-esteem boost

Michelle stresses that there’s nothing as beneficial as the self-esteem boost the children get from being able to cycle and manage a bicycle independently.

“The love, the fun and the joy they get freewheeling down a small slope is a joy to witness,” she says. “And the stamina they build cycling up the little hill is incredibly beneficial, not only to their sense of balance and coordination but to their sense of achievement too.

“Being out in all weather also teaches them resilience, that a little rain or even darkness doesn’t matter,” adds Michelle. “They get into their rain gear, turn on their lights, put on their high-vis, and are off. Again, the confidence these seemingly small challenges build in children is priceless.”
​
The Cycle Bus doesn’t just get children to school safely while having fun. It’s there to support parents and children so that the entire community can all reap the many rewards of commuting by bike.

Empowering families

Although Michelle’s children are now at an age where they can cycle to school independently, Michelle continues to volunteer with the Cycle Bus to help empower other families to cycle to school together.

She understands that as an adult, cycling can be scary, even more so when you have a child in tow.

“That’s what the Cycle Bus is for,” says Michelle. “We offer families a safe and fun way to kick-start the experience of cycling to school and potentially even continuing to work on their bicycles.”

​“When you put all of this together – the physical fitness, joy, connection to community, sense of achievement and being out in nature – it all contributes to a child’s well-being and instils habits that will stand to them throughout their lives,” says Michelle.