Active Travel Schools
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Getting to school
Cycling, scooting or walking to school can help kids to reach their recommended levels of daily physical activity. Exercise is also a great way to shake off the cobwebs of a nights sleep, meaning kids can arrive at school alert and ready for their lessons.
According to the latest figures from Sustrans’ Hands Up Survey show that while 43.6% of students walk to school, 23.2% arrive by car and only 4% cycle. Getting more families to ditch the car for walking, wheeling and cycling to school means we’ll have less traffic, safer streets, less pollution and healthier, happier children.
Cycling together
Cycling isn’t just a method of transport, it’s also a fun activity and can be a very social experience. Cycling with your children to school is a fun family activity and also gives you the opportunity to pass on positive habits to your children while observing their road cycling skills ahead of letting them go it alone.
Encouraging them to cycle with friends gives them more social time along with a sense of independence. It also provides enhanced ‘safety in numbers’ as a group of riders are even more visible to other road users.
Bikeability
Bikeability is a nationwide cycle course aimed at giving every child the skills they need to cycle safely on the roads - usually delivered in Primary 6 and 7.
Level 1 introduces pupils to the concepts of cycling and uses games and playground activities to improve cycle skills and confidence. Level 2 brings those skills out onto quieter roads where the pupils then learn how to safely and confidently navigate urban streets and junctions under supervision of Bikeability instructors.
The Highland Council coordinate the delivery of Bikeability training, with some schools allocated external support while others rely on trained volunteers or trained members of staff. You can find out more about Bikeability, and how to get involved in your school either from your teachers or the Bikeability Coordinator.
Safer Routes
There is a range of funding available to schools through the Safer Routes to Schools scheme. The funding is intended to reduce barriers to walking and cycling to school and can be applied for by any school in the Highland Council region.
Small Grants (up to £3,000) can be applied for by any school, while Large Grants (up to £30,000) can be applied for by schools with a School Travel Plan.
Parents actively getting involved can be a huge boost to a schools ability and desire to promote these schemes. Contact your child’s school to see their travel plan, and see if you can be involved in updating it, and if there are options for improving access for walking, wheeling and cycing.
SChool Streets
Schools Streets is an initiative that implements temporary traffic restrictions outside schools during drop off and pick up times. This improves road safety and reduces air pollution in the school environment at peak times.
There is currently a Pilot Scheme taking place in Inverness across four schools to explore school streets. Speak with your child’s school, and your local councillors, to show your support for School Streets.
ParkSmart
Parksmart is another Highland Council initiative that aims to address problem parking outside schools. Schools can design a Parksmart banner for display across the school fence to prevent pavement parking, parking across road markings, blocking safe road crossings, etc.
This can be run as a competition, or collaboration, between pupils to design the artwork.
Routes
Finding the best route for getting to school can take time - there may be more than one, and it may be different from the route you would use in a car. There are a range of active travel maps that are perfect for this. Combining these maps with exploration around your local area will give you and your child the skills and knowledge to better plan short regular journeys on foot or by bike.
Bike bus
A bike bus works just like a normal bus; a pre-planned route with set stops to pick up ‘passengers’. Adult ‘drivers’ will lead the group ride ensuring everyone gets to school safely.
Cycle Scotland have some great tips if you’d like to have a Bike Bus in your kids school.
GO FOR IT!
The Highland Council operate an incentive rewards scheme for children using active travel to get to school. Go For It offers a range of prizes to children for reaching milestones of 25 and 50 active travel journeys to school.
You can find out more about Go For It on the council website. Prizes are claimed through schools, so you’ll need to speak with your child’s teacher about how to record journeys and claim rewards.
