Public Servant Lifestyle

Scottish Ministers have announced a £5 million funding package to back up a nationwide plan to encourage more pupils and parents across Scotland to choose to walk or cycle to school.

It will finance the development of new, healthier routes to school as well as paying for cycling training and secure cycle racks and shelters in playgrounds. New safer routes to schools, improved cycling training for children and secure cycle storage in playgrounds are all part of a nationwide plan to encourage more pupils and parents across Scotland to choose to walk or cycle to school.

The plans were unveiled as part of a £5 million funding announcement by Transport Minister Tavish Scott to help tackle the school run, while supporting schools promote healthier ways of getting to and from the classroom.

The breakdown of the funding is:

£2.4 million for new and safer routes to schools (co-ordinated by sustainable transport charity, Sustrans)

£1.2 million for cycle training for children (co-ordinated by Cycling Scotland)

£1.4 million for school infrastructure changes such as more cycle racks and shelters (co-ordinated by Sustrans)

Environment

Mr Scott said: "We want to encourage parents and children to look beyond the car to get to and from school. Walking or cycling is good for children's health and for Scotland's environment. The benefits are clear. I want more parents and pupils across the country to choose to walk or cycle to school. This devolved government will do all it can to help people make that choice. And we will do all we can to support schools in their efforts to encourage pupils and their parents to leave their cars at home.

"This money will deliver safer routes and new pathways to schools, improved cycle training for pupils and a safe place to lock up their bikes. What we can do is limit the excuses people have used in the past for taking the car. It is up to parents to encourage their children to consider walking or cycling to school.

"While 21% of school children get to school by car, only 1% cycle. That is a statistic that parents across the country need to think about. I want to see more of us take the healthy option, ditch the car from the school run, and take action to help our environment."

Training

Chief Executive of Cycling Scotland Erl Wilkie said: "Cycling Scotland welcomes this funding to provide comprehensive on-road cycle training for children in Scotland.

"Research shows that cycle training is key to encouraging a greater modal shift to bike use, and targeting the training at young people will help to create a generation who think about their travel choices in a more sustainable way.

"We look forward to working with the Scottish Executive and Road Safety Scotland to deliver this important project."

Philippa Davison, Sustrans Safe Routes to Schools Manager, said: "With over 10 years experience working with parents, teachers and children as part of our Safe Routes to School programme we know that over 33% of children in the UK would like to cycle to school yet very few actually do.

"This funding from Scottish Executive means that more children will be able to travel to school in active ways that benefit their health and the environment. The money will go towards building more safe routes to schools as well as installing cycle parking facilities in schools throughout Scotland to enable more children to travel safely to school in a way that they would like to."

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