Safe Routes to School improvements at Scoil Mhuire Murroe and the village core.
Murroe has recently benefited from a series of traffic calming and active travel improvements delivered as part of the National Transport Authority’s Safe Routes to School Programme. The project focuses on improving safety and accessibility around Scoil Mhuire and strengthening walking and wheeling connections through the village core.
The scheme has also featured as part of the NTA’s educational video series for the Sustainable Mobility Academy, highlighting Murroe as an example of how Safe Routes to School principles can be applied successfully in a rural village context.
The scheme serves a school community of approximately 158 pupils and supports everyday movement for Murroe’s village population of around 1,432 residents.
Why the project was needed
Scoil Mhuire is located on a busy regional road at the heart of the village. Prior to works, narrow footpaths, limited safe crossing points and a large island junction created significant barriers for children, families and residents walking or wheeling through the area.
Safe Routes to School travel surveys carried out in late 2024 showed that 48.9% of pupils travelled by car, despite 65% living within 1 km of the school. Parents expressed very strong support for safer walking and cycling routes, highlighting the need for targeted infrastructure improvements.
What was delivered
The project, completed between July and September 2025, introduced a coordinated set of measures designed to prioritise pedestrian safety and village connectivity:
- Widened footpaths and build-outs at the school frontage
- A new raised pedestrian crossing at the main school gate
- Reconfiguration of the nearby island junction to a safer one-way layout
- Two new controlled pedestrian crossings on key walking routes
- Continuous accessible footpaths around the village core
- Blue Badge parking spaces and an accessible bus stop with shelter
- Traffic calming, refreshed road markings and a designated School Zone
Connecting the school and the village
Rather than treating the school frontage in isolation, the project addressed long-standing issues at the adjacent junction, which previously acted as a barrier to walking within Murroe. The redesign improves crossing safety, slows vehicle movements and strengthens links between residential areas, the school and the village centre.
Care was taken to integrate the Memorial Cross Monument into the new layout so that it functions as a focal point within the village, while remaining safe and accessible for pedestrians.
Watch the video
The Murroe Safe Routes to School scheme is featured in the NTA’s Sustainable Mobility Academy educational series: