Sustainable Travel to School

Why Travel Sustainably?

Traffic congestion around the gates of Worcestershire schools at peak times can create a dangerous environment for those arriving and leaving as well as causing problems for local residents and increasing pollution levels in the area.

A reduction in car use on the journey to and from school can address these issues whilst providing a great opportunity for parents and young people to become more active. Children can learn about road safety on their walk and develop confidence in their road skills.

Even those who need to drive can travel by car part of the way, park and walk the rest of the trip.

	School Travel Plans The School Travel Plans page contains more information on what the schemes are and documents for more information.
	Walking Initiatives In the Walking section you can learn about the benefits, the different groups such as the walking bus and Maps available to download.
	Cycling Initiatives In the Cycling section you can learn more about the different groups, events and information for safe and sustainable travelling.
	Car Sharing Initiatives The Car Sharing section gives more information on what it consists of and the benefits of it.
	Contact Information For information relating to sustainable travel to school, road safety education, pedestrian and cycle training, please contact The Worcestershire Hub on 01905 765765  (Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm) or email worcestershirehub@worcestershire.gov.uk.

Schools can play a big part in encouraging pupils to travel in more sustainable ways by introducing the topic into the classroom and highlighting the link between regular walking and cycling and improvements to health, fitness and the environment.  Curriculum links could include:

• Study of the local environment (geography)
• Traffic counts (maths)
• How gears and pedals work (science)
• The development of cycling and/or transport (history)
• How engines work and their emissions (science)
• The design of more environmentally-friendly vehicles (D&T)
• Posters for parents/the school about travelling more sustainably and road safety (art)

In addition, schools can run regular Walk or Cycle to School Days/Weeks or carsharing and public transport promotions. They could hold competitions between classes to see which has the most sustainable travellers: Pupils can record how they travel to school each day over a set period – a week, half term or term perhaps and score points according to the mode used.