CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
“Government in “serious danger” of missing cycling and walking targets (England)
(11 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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it will fail to meet its own target of 55% of primary school children walking to school by 2025
How? How? How have we got to the point where less than 55% of primary-age children walk to school?
Posted 6 years ago # -
More families in which both parents go to work.
More people driving to work.which leads to:
More danger, perceived or otherwise, on the roads and footways and around schools.
More families taking part in the school run.which leads to:
More danger, perceived or otherwise, on the roads and footways and around schools.
More families taking part in the school run.Posted 6 years ago # -
It's not just England that has a problem.
In 2017 only 42.3% of Scottish school children walked to school, and just 3.7% cycled.
53.1% of primary school kids walked, cycled or scooted. 42.7% of secondary school pupils did the same.
The rest used some form of motorised transport, but only 16.5% overall took the bus (6.3% of primary school kids were bus passengers compared with 34.5% of secondary school kids)
These figures are likely to overestimate active travel and public transport as most fee-paying schools do not participate in the survey.
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/scotland/hands-up-scotland-survey
Posted 6 years ago # -
@neddie, maybe the other 45% scoot or cycle *coughs*
I would say for the majority of school journeys by car, the car goes Home-School-Work or Work-School-Home and the school run is an extension of a longer journey.
I can see exactly how it happens. To get the children dropped off, travel to work (allowing for delays etc) and work the required number of hours (often with core start and end times) and eating at the desk (to minimise time "wasted") and all within the childcare hours is a tricky task and adding a return walking trip home to do the work commute adds to the stress. Public transport just isn't good enough or reliable enough to fulfill its side of the bargain.
And so the vicious circle perpetuates, as @Arellcat says.
I would be very interested in seeing what proportion of school run car journeys go Home-School-Home. These are a shame and to be targeted if the school is in walking distance.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Looking into the Edinburgh data, 48% of kids walked to school in 2017, 5.9% cycled and 6.2% scooted or skateboarded (maybe a few went on roller skates but I doubt it). 8.1% took the bus and 19.8% were driven to school.
Walking is down from 51.9% in 2016; cycling and bus about the same (both up small fractions of a percentage = statistical noise); driving is up from 16.4% in 2016. So-called "park and stride" (i.e. not parking car right at school gates and walking a short distance instead) is up to 10% from 9.3% in 2016.
It seems the car is winning school modal share from walking primarily.
Drilling into the figures, the main increase in driving is occurring in Edinburgh primary schools. Slightly more encouraging is that walking to secondary school is up on 2016. Cycling up for secondary and primary, down for nursery and fee-paying schools. Fee-paying schools have seen an increase in both driving and walking.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Home-School-Home
I have a neighbour who does this. It's 300 metres each way.
Perversely, she's also regularly spotted out on her bike, or happily walking around the area.
I've concluded she just rolls dice in the morning.Posted 6 years ago # -
Tell me that is satire. Public transport is unreliable so allow poor coddled Jimmy's mumsy and daddy to drive in the bus lane as a solution!
I particularly like the mention of empty motorcycles. That's when I became convinced it was written by some sort of rage bot
Posted 6 years ago # -
How public spirited of "LeaseCar’s Gareth Roberts" to campaign for a change in the law which will encourage more parents to drive. I don't suppose "LeaseCar’s Gareth Roberts" might have a vested interest in such a campaign and stand to make more money from, er, leasing cars to those same parents? I think we should be told.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"Tell me that is satire. "
Unfortunately I think it's more along the lines of that infamous Tory campaign slogan:
"Are you thinking what we're thinking?" i.e. lots of parent in cars, stuck in traffic, must be wishing they could use the bus lane.Naturally the thought of not driving their kids to school has not occurred to them...
Posted 6 years ago #
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