Five schools in Limerick have been added to the fifth round of Safe Routes to School, bringing the local participating total to 34. Limerick City and County Council announced the additions on 9 October 2026. The practical change is entry into a programme that develops safer approaches for walking, wheeling and cycling, rather than an announcement that five new construction projects are complete. [1]

The new participants are Castleconnell NS, Gaelscoil Ó Doghair, Monagea NS, Salesian Primary School and Scoil Iosaf. The council says they will work with its transport team and the programme team to identify measures for each location. A school’s needs and the surrounding road network will shape the eventual design. [1]

Ask which stage your school has reached

The council’s account separates 14 completed school zones from projects at preconstruction, preliminary design and options-development stages. Those terms describe different levels of progress. Parents should look for a proposal or consultation relevant to their own school rather than assuming a completed scheme elsewhere will be copied exactly. [1]

For a useful local discussion, describe the journey in specific terms: where a footpath ends, where an adult cannot cross comfortably with a child, or where parked cars obscure the view. If sharing observations with the school or council, give the location and time of day without publishing children’s identities or identifiable photographs.

Selection is not a construction timetable

The council identifies consultation, planning requirements, construction scheduling and annual budgets as factors affecting delivery. Participation therefore gives a starting point for engagement, not a firm completion date for every intervention. [1]

Families can ask how feedback will be collected, where designs will be published and who will provide updates. Those questions make the next step visible and help distinguish a funded programme from a site-specific plan ready to build.

Keep existing road-safety arrangements in place while proposals develop. The announcement does not establish that a particular crossing or school entrance has already changed. This article reports the council’s new participant list and delivery information; it does not claim an on-site inspection or independent measurement of travel behaviour.