Walking To School
It's convenient, it costs nothing and it's good for you, your children and the environment.
Tips for walking safely
By walking to school, children have an opportunity to mix socially with their peers and will arrive at school alert and attentive. More children walking to school also means less traffic congestion around the school, making it safer for all children. Many schools are actively encouraging their pupils to walk to school through initiatives such as the Travelwise NI Safer Routes to Schools programme.
Here are some tips for teaching your child how to walk safely:
- Walk with them until you are confident that they have a well-developed road sense. An adult should always accompany children under the age of 10.
- Show them the safest route to school. It is usually the way with the least traffic and fewest roads to cross.
- Encourage them not to play with toys as they walk as they may dash out on to the road to retrieve them.
- Teach them to look out for vehicles coming in and out of driveways
- Explain what they need to watch for when walking and teach them the following simple rules: stop at the kerb, look right, look left, then right again, listen for cars approaching and think before crossing.
- Encourage your child to think about some of the dangers that might exist
Ask:
- Is this a safe place to cross?
- Is there somewhere better to cross, like a pedestrian crossing?
- Can motorists see me?
- How fast is the traffic moving?
- Do I feel safe crossing here?
- Remind them that they should only cross at lights when the green 'man' sign is showing and only at pedestrian crossings when cars have stopped for them.
- Ensure they are aware of the dangers of crossing where cars are parked.
- Teach your children to respect and obey the school-crossing patrol.
- Show them how to behave safely by modelling good road safety behaviour.
- Encourage them to walk with friends - this will make them more visible and safer from traffic and strangers.
- Make sure they know people who live along the route or other places they can go if they feel threatened by strangers or bullies.
- Ensure they know how to share the paths with other users such as people riding bikes, skateboards, scooters and roller blades, people walking dogs, people in wheelchairs, people with disabilities, people pushing prams and joggers.
DOENI Road Safety Branch can be contacted at:- roadsafety.clarencecourt@doeni.gov.uk 
To view article on Learning to walk click here.
A walking bus is a safe way for children to walk to school. It gives them the opportunity
to learn about road safety, time to chat to their friends before lessons and gives them important exercise
time on a daily basis.
What is a Walking Bus?
- The walking bus mimics the behaviour of an ordinary bus but without the vehicle.
- A group of children walks to and from school along a set route, picking up or leaving children at agreed stops and times
- In most cases a group of volunteer adults lead and tail the bus
- The children's bags are placed in a trolley which is pushed by an adult
- Incentives for the children can be used such as badges, stickers, umbrellas, fridge magnets, special events and so on.
Benefits of the Walking Bus
Good for children
A walking bus is a safe way for children to walk to school. It also allows children
to have regular daily exercise and reinforces the habit of walking for shorter journeys.
Good for the environment
Less congestion and traffic, which means less pollution.
Good for you
Opportunity for you to have social contact with other parents, physical exercise
and the feeling of well-being knowing that you're doing something worthwhile.
Insurance
Don't start a walking bus without arranging insurance cover. Your school should
be able to advise on this.
Example of Walking Bus Guidelines. (PDF,
64Kb)
(PDF,
64Kb)Thanks to Cheshire County Council for permission to reproduce them here.
