Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey has joined forces with the Mayor of Greater Manchester to urge schools to make it safer for children to walk, wheel or cycle to school.
Dame Sarah and Mayor Andy Burnham will write to schools across the city-region inviting them to develop their own ‘School Street’ – to limit traffic during drop off and pick up time.
The ambition to boost the existing number of School Streets from 30 to 100 in the next four years was set out by the Mayor in his most recent manifesto, with Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey tasked with taking the commitment forward with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
A letter from the Mayor and Commissioner will be sent to all schools in Greater Manchester via the 10 Local Authorities, inviting them to register their interest in launching their own scheme.
Currently around one-third of traffic at peak times in the morning or afternoon is from children being taken to school. Reducing reliance on car trips and encouraging healthier, more active lifestyles is key to improving health and wellbeing – with 22% of reception aged children and 39% of Year 6 children overweight or obese in Greater Manchester.
Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner, said: “School Travel is one of my six priorities in the Active Travel Mission and this School Streets programme is one of the ways in which we can start to make the journey to school safer for children, their families and school staff.
“Safety and convenience are two of the main barriers to people choosing to walk, wheel or cycle to school and interventions like School Streets are a good starting point for improving the whole journey for those travelling to school and onward about their day.
“It’s important we reach as many schools as possible to share the benefits of the School Streets programme which is why we have written this letter and are encouraging schools to register their interest.
“Once this is underway further work can be added in, which is part of the wider draft School Travel Strategy due to be presented to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority later this month.
“Generating a focus on schools travel is so important so that whole journeys can be catered for, and people given a genuine choice and alternative to having to use their car for the school drop off and pick up.”
