Better Transport

Around the country many parents are working with schools and local authorities to make it easier for children to walk and cycle to school and reduce traffic on the 'school run'. 

"Just start, get going, be enthusiastic! But also be aware that you may be in it for the long run. It's essential to work out where the power lies in order to change something. For instance, it's not always the local councillor who has the power. Do your research. The social side of your campaign is critical. Try to have some fun. Why not think of having a street party or a car-free day?" Chris Gittins, Transport for Greater Bristol Alliance

The best way to shrink the school run is to create a school travel plan. See if your school has one already. If not, create it! It will take a couple of years but will be enjoyable and rewarding.

A school travel plan is a document produced by a school in conjunction with the local authority. A school travel plan outlines the problems people have getting safely to school and offers a strategy for overcoming or reducing them – such as offering cycling training, better walking facilities, enhanced public transport services and safety improvements to the physical environment. Many improvements can be paid for through Government grants.

After promoting the idea of travel plans for decades, we've been able to make them a mainstream idea, now supported by residents, school decision-makers, councillors and other NGOs. You will have loads of support if you try to create one!

Sustrans does a great deal of work in this area and you’ll want to get help through its Safe Routes to School programme, which offers help on creating school travel plans and getting more children to walk and cycle to school.

Contact your school, your local authority or your county council to find out what’s happening in your area. Most local authorities in England and Scotland now have a school travel adviser or coordinator who will give support and guidance.

Detailed guidance on how to produce a school travel plan can be found in Travelling to School - A good Practice Guide (pdf), produced by the Department for Transport.

While preparing a school travel plan, you might want to look at setting up car-sharing programme or encouraging your school to consider a mini-bus. Community Transport Association can help with this.

BrightKidz also has advice on setting up walking buses and school travel plans.

In general, you'll probably first work to set up an action team, then talk with parents and students to understand people's travel patterns and travel concerns, then develop and publicise some possibile solutions and then write and implement a final plan.

The photo above shows a 'walking bus'. With one volunteer parent acting as 'driver' and another as 'conductor' the walking bus follows a set route, collecting children along the way.