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Schools


A boy and girl walking to school.
Most of us, especially those who are parents, will know just how much the journey to school has changed since we were at school ourselves - more traffic, longer journeys, more to carry, more pressures on time. The most quoted statistic is that 20% of cars on the road in urban areas at the morning peak of ten minutes to nine are taking children to school.
But you may not be aware of the dramatic changes that have occurred just in the last ten years:
  • Since 1994 the proportion of primary aged children walking to school has declined from 61% to 50%.
  • There was an increase from 30% to 41% in the number being driven to school.
  • Children aged 16 and under made 62 per cent of all their trips as car passengers.
  • The average length of the journey to school for secondary pupils has gone up by well over a third.
The problem directly affects more than nine million young people in education in the United Kingdom and their families. Indirectly it touches everyone through its effects on health, education, local air quality and congestion. Travelwise NI offers advice and practical alternatives to the ‘School Run’.
Understand the problem and you can be part of the solution.