Lib Dems help promote "walk to school week"
May 21, 2008 10:50 AM
Cllr Ceredig Jamieson Ball walking to school with his son
This week is national Walk to School Week and York Council have been encouraging schools around York to get involved. Walk to School Week happens every year, and nationally over 2 million children take part.
Many primary schools across York are participating, and encouraging children to walk to school during this week, when this is not something that the children would normally do. Activities and events have taken place around the city, such as encouraging parents to achieve a 'carbon-free car park' by leaving their cars at home, children taking part in sponsored walks, and talks from Police and Community Support Officers.
Cllr Ann Reid, Executive Member for City Strategy, said: "Walking to school has numerous benefits - it cuts our carbon emissions when we leave our cars at home, is good for our health, contributes to children's social development and gets parents and children involved in their local community."
"We know that we have to make the area around schools safer if we want parents to feel happy about letting their children walk to school. The Liberal Democrats have therefore set aside £200, 000 in our budget this year to invest in improvements to School Safety Zones and Safe Routes to School schemes, which make roads safer to cross and identify safer routes for school children, and to invest in additional bike sheds in schools."
The Council also promotes "walking buses" - groups of school children walking to school together. This has resulted in an increased number of children walking to school, which contributes to their health and fitness.
However, the Council is still pushing for more children to walk to school and hopes that promoting it this week will encourage schools to incorporate these ideas into their travel action plans for the long-term.
Walk to School Week coincides with Healthy Schools Week and is promoted by the charity Living Streets - www.livingstreets.org.uk
About half of primary school children are still not regularly walking to school, according to the Department for Transport.
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