As part of Road Safety Week 2026, which takes place from 5 to 11 October, Dundalk Grammar School has joined with Louth County Council, An Garda Síochána and Dundalk Chamber of Commerce to encourage parents and students to make their journeys to and from school safer, healthier and more sustainable through the Park ‘n’ Stride initiative.

Park ‘n’ Stride allows parents, guardians and students who register for the scheme to avail of up to two hours of free parking per day at designated car parks displaying the Park ‘n’ Stride logo, before completing the final part of their journey on foot. This includes one hour between 8.30am and 9.30am and a further 60 minutes between 1pm and 4pm.

Participating Park ‘n’ Stride locations in Dundalk include McEntee Avenue Car Park; Rogers Car Park, Rampart Road; Dundalk Library; Rampart Road Long Term Car Park; Meadow Grove Car Park; Aura Leisure; St Joseph’s Redemptorist Car Park; Linenhall Street Car Park; The Longwalk Long Stay Car Park; Clanbrassil Centre Car Park; Longwalk Shopping Centre; Tesco Extra Car Park; and the Lidl car parks at Avenue Road and St Helena’s Terrace.

Cllr Dolores Minogue, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, welcomed the initiative, saying: “Road Safety Week provides an important opportunity to remind us of the role we all play in keeping our roads safe. Park ‘n’ Stride is a simple but effective initiative that can help reduce congestion around schools, improve safety for pupils and encourage healthy habits through walking. I encourage families across Dundalk to consider taking part.”

Caralyn Ferris, Principal of Dundalk Grammar Junior School, also encouraged parents and guardians to avail of Park ‘n’ Stride, saying: “Children travelling to school by car can contribute to increased congestion outside the school in the mornings and afternoons. A short walk from a designated Park ‘n’ Stride location can help ease traffic bottlenecks at the school gates while also incorporating valuable physical activity into daily routines.”

Park ‘n’ Stride is supported by An Garda Síochána. Garda Darragh Prior of the Community Policing Unit said: “Using the designated Park ‘n’ Stride car parks can help reduce congestion around schools, making these areas safer for children. It can also reduce the stress associated with trying to find parking close to the school.”

Noel Treanor, Senior Executive Engineer in Louth County Council’s Active Travel Section, highlighted the benefits of the initiative, saying: “Initiatives such as Park ‘n’ Stride and the Safe Routes to School programme can encourage people to incorporate more active travel into their daily journeys. Walking the final part of the journey to school can support children’s physical health, contribute to environmental sustainability and help them develop important road safety awareness and skills.”

The initiative has also been welcomed by Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, with President Hannah McDonnell saying: “The Chamber is pleased to support this initiative, which benefits schools, families and the wider community. By encouraging people to park in designated locations and walk the remainder of their journey, Park ‘n’ Stride can help reduce congestion while also creating opportunities for people to make use of local businesses and services.”

To register for Park ‘n’ Stride, visit www.louthcoco.ie/ParknStride