We are working with schools to support children and families to walk, cycle or consider blended travel when travelling to and from school.
Our project work has included:
- Liaising with schools to encourage and help set up walking buses, park and stride and cycle trains and engaging with school councils and right's respecting groups.
- Working with Traffic and Highway Services to undertake travel plans for all primary schools, leading to improvements to cycle parking, crossing points and pavements.
- Supporting St Martins Primary school active travel project to create Guernsey's first School Street. Listen to the schools journey, how they empowered the children, gathered evidence and showed resilience in the face of barriers here St Martins School. Now no children are dropped off by car at the school gate aside from breakfast club and the playground is no longer used as a pickup point by cars at the end of the day.
- Helping local primary schools take part in the living Streets WOW challenge. Children use a Travel Tracker to record how they get to school each day. If they walk, cycle or scoot once a week for a month they collect a badge.
Email alex.coston@healthimprovement.gg to find out more.
Findings of the Active Travel Survey 15th and 16th October 2024
· Active Travel continues to grow at both primary and secondary schools
· Active travel to and from primary schools has increased by 10% since October 2021 (38% to 48%)
· Active travel to and from secondary schools has increased by 8% since October 2021 (29% to 37%)
Alex Costen, Active Travel officer at the Health Improvement Commission, commented: ‘It is positive to see a continuing upward trend in walking and cycling, especially in primary schools. There is more work to do but it is evident that some of the interventions, spearheaded by the Health Improvement Commission and delivered by Education Establishments, is having a positive impact.
The challenge is to sustain this momentum and to make active travel the preferable option for all children where possible. Schools like St Martin’s who have a School Street in place have had a substantial impact on active travel. They act as a shining example of what a school can achieve by prohibiting traffic past the school site at drop off and pick up times.
Walking buses are another example of an intervention that enables children to travel actively. A focus must also be to make sure that children and their families have the skills and confidence to cycle to and from school.’
Summary of the Active Travel Survey
The active travel survey was first undertaken in 2020 and is conducted twice a year in May and October. All schools ask children in each class, by a show of hands, how they travelled to and from school over two days.
There was changeable weather during October’s survey with some rain. We know the weather does impact results, especially when comparing overall figures in May versus October. Therefore the results have been compared for October findings.
Primary School Results
The findings from primary schools show a lift in the numbers of young people who have incorporated active travel into their journeys and a continuing upward trend. Average active travel, which includes number of children walking, cycling, scootering or using blended travel, is 46% to school and 50% from school.
Secondary School Results
Results and number of responses from the secondary schools show fluctuations and variations between schools and over time, and a small increasing trend for active travel since the first survey. Note that not all secondary schools and all year groups have engaged each year with the survey. There has been more impact in schools where students, through the school council, or engaged students, have championed for more walking and cycling amongst their peers.
The most recent results show 34% of students recorded as travelling actively to school and 40% from school.
