Inspiring student outlines health benefits of getting up on your bike
A second-level student with a passion for cycling – and the driving ambition to make it possible for all – enthralled an audience of fellow enthusiasts at the Irish Cycling Campaign Spring Gathering in Galway this week.
#AndSheCycles ambassador Clara Blodau from Gort Community School shared her campaign for safer cycling infrastructure in Gort, highlighting the need for dedicated cycle lanes to encourage more students, especially girls, to choose cycling.
As the public face of the #AndSheCycles programme – part of An Taisce's Green-Schools – she outlined how, as the only girl who cycles to school in a school of 1,000 students, the barriers are formidable.
But Clara's inspiring campaign touched the hearts of the attendees, including Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney, who took the time to engage with Clara and learn about her efforts to improve cycling conditions in her community.
The event itself focussed on the need for improved cycling infrastructure and showcased the power of young voices in helping to shape safer active travel and sustainable transportation.
Green-Schools Travel Officer, Lorraine Farrell spoke on behalf of the #AndSheCycles programme, emphasising its role in supporting and empowering girls across Ireland to cycle confidently, build community, and advocate for change.
“Events like this are so important for young people, giving them a platform to show them that sharing their ideas and experiences matters,” she said.
“We’re grateful to the Irish Cycling Campaign for allowing one of our #AndSheCycles ambassadors to attend and share her story.
“Clara spoke with such confidence and passion about her campaign for safer cycling in Gort, and we couldn’t be prouder of how she represented her community, school and the #AndSheCycles programme,” she added.
In a piece written for the Connacht Tribune last year, Clara outlined the benefits of cycling safely to and from school – and how fear forced her to stop.
“The fresh air before a long day of school put me in a good mood for the rest of the day with a positive mindset and better concentration made school so much more fun!” she wrote.
But she said that our roads were designed to accommodate vehicular transport - even if they were supposed to be for everyone.
“The danger of cycling on roads soon became terrifyingly obvious to me. The constant whoosh of cars passing just inches away from me haunted me the whole way to and from school and I began to fear being hit by every rumble I heard coming up behind me. I felt vulnerable and I felt threatened.
“Therefore, I was forced to stop cycling to school. Other students have had similar experiences, which has resulted in our nearly empty bike rack with over 1000 students too scared to cycle to school.
“But why shouldn’t we be able to cycle to school? It should be safe for everyone to have the option of walking or cycle to school, and it is time to act to make this possible.”
She began to contact councillors, other cycle campaigners, the Gardaí, the Irish cycle campaign and other stakeholders to collect ideas, information and discuss possible solutions.
As a result, Gort Community School is now involved with An Taisce’s #andshecycles campaign and enrolled in the Safe Routes to Schools programme.