Pupils to audit school runs to prioritise active travel

A new initiative will see primary school children becoming junior active travel inspectors, with a new mission to help more kids cycle, walk, wheel, and scoot to schools.

The scheme will see children audit their school run on a new ‘kid-friendly app’ to boost health and safety, while reducing road congestion. It gives pupils the chance to shape their own travel to school, helping all children access safer, greener and more accessible walking and cycling routes to school.

This comes as data found that around 40 per cent of primary school children and 25 per cent of secondary school pupils are currently driven to school and school drop-offs account for a quarter of morning rush hour traffic in London, and even more elsewhere in the country.

Participating schools will recruit a team of junior active travel inspectors, who will work with teachers and parents to assess local walking and cycling routes around their schools. This data will be used to identify barriers to healthier journeys and suggest ideas to encourage more active and safer journeys to school.

Working with Active Travel England and Modeshift STARS, the junior active travel inspectors will then report on areas for improvement using a bespoke, child-friendly version of ATE’s inspection checklist.

This follows the government’s commitment over the next four years for active travel in the Spending Review, as well as £300 million announced in February to deliver 300 miles of new cycle lanes and pavements across England.

Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “Walking, scooting and cycling to work and school has many benefits, to the economy, to congestion, air quality and physical and mental health. We want to make sure that more children and families can take advantage.

“We’re putting young people at the heart of our Active Travel mission, and delivering this innovative new scheme will help councils make smarter decisions, improve local infrastructure, and support our Plan for Change by boosting local economies and easing pressure on the NHS.”