Funding to get more children walking to school

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced funding to enable more primary school children to walk to school in part of a package of measures which aims to reduce car use by encouraging more walking and cycling.

A £1 million grant will support 485 schools within Birmingham City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, Merseytravel, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and West Midlands Combined Authority to take part in WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge from Living Streets.

An additional £2.5 million ‘Walk To’ fund will support 1,200 schools across a consortium of local and combined authorities led by Blackpool Council and comprising Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Leicester, North East Combined Authority, North Lincolnshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Surrey and West Sussex to take part in WOW.

A generation ago, 70 per cent of primary school children walked to school but this has dropped to just over half (51 per cent). The Government has a target in its Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) to have 55 per cent of primary school children walking to school by 2025.

WOW sees walking rates increase by an average of 23 per cent and results in 30 per cent fewer car journeys to the school gates.