To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to outline how her Department is prioritising safe walking and cycling routes to (i) schools; and (ii) community facilities, in rural areas.

Road safety is a high priority for my Department and I am committed to working proactively to make our roads safer for everyone. I am acutely aware that children and young people are amongst the most vulnerable groups using our roads.

My Department is currently taking forward a third tranche of part-time 20mph zones at 40 schools, predominantly in rural areas across the North, and are listed on my Department’s website, link; https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/20mph-speed-limit-schools-tranche-3.

This will bring the total delivered across the North since 2020/21 to 273 schools.

This initiative is a significant intervention that will help to ensure that children, parents and staff feel safer as they travel to and from school on a daily basis.

My Department is also currently carrying out a review on a number of speed related matters including 20mph speed limits in general and I plan to undertake a public consultation exercise as part of this review.

Street lighting can also contribute significantly to feelings of personal security and safety, particularly for women and young people travelling at night. This is an important consideration when officials are developing proposals to improve pedestrian and cycling facilities to key destinations with the aim of encouraging modal shift.

My Department’s policy for the provision of street lighting in rural locations considers:-

The density of housing within a community, including public buildings with significant nighttime use; and,

Road safety, where street lighting would contribute to a reduction in the number of night-time collisions.

I will continue to consider any steps my Department and our road safety partners can take to help reduce the number of people killed and injured in road traffic collisions. However, there are actions we can all take that will help. I would urge all drivers to take care on the roads, slow down, ignore mobile phones and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

As road users we all have a personal responsibility to behave in a way that keeps ourselves and others safe.