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Walking to School

Walking is healthy, economical and fun. Not only will it give your children the chance to develop their road skills, but walking in numbers will add to everyone’s safety.

• Walking is a great way of keeping fit
• You can teach your children road safety skills
• It’s less stressful
• You and you children can find out more about the local environment
• You are helping the environment by cutting down on greenhouse gases
• Walking is free – just think of all the money you can save
• It gives you time to talk to your child and other people
• One less car on the road means it’s safer for other children

Walking Buses

As part of our efforts to encourage children to walk to school we promote walking buses in the schools in the city. This type of scheme is mainly of interest to primary schools and we have several schools and many parents that are in the process of setting them up.

What is a Walking Bus?

It is a simple idea. Groups of children walk on a regular route with volunteer ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’.

The walking bus collects children from stops along the way and follows a timetable for the journey to and from school. The scheme is operated by the school community and is totally reliant on volunteers. These can be parents, grandparents, or other family members, or active, retired members of the community. All volunteers are fully police checked and undergo basic training before escorting the bus.

The Road Safety Team offers all the help and advice schools and parents need to get the scheme up and running. If you would be interested in setting up or volunteering for a walking bus, please contact the Safer Routes to School Officer on 023 9284 1637.

Walk to School Week

The City Council, in association with Living Streets and Travel Wise, work with as many schools as possible to promote Walk to School week. This is a national initiative to involve as many children as possible to walk to school for one week of the year.

The Road Safety Team can provide schools with all necessary materials to take part. In the past we have taken our road safety trailer to schools in the city and spoken to pupils about why they should walk to school and how to use the different types of crossings properly.

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