Greening the school run
Lily Barclay
The walking bus is a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly approach to walking your children to and from school
Now the autumn term has begun, many parents will be expecting the return to school run chaos. The drive to school is blamed for around a fifth of all traffic in peak hours, making it a hectic and frustrating journey.
The car may seem like the fastest and easiest way to drop your kids off, but one increasingly popular initiative could be a green, safe and healthy alternative.
The walking bus
The first ‘walking bus’ started up ten years ago at a primary school in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Since then hundreds of schools across the UK have created their own.
How does it work? Children are collected along an agreed route, or from their own front doorstep, by trained volunteers who supervise them as they walk to school.
A minimum of two adults is needed to escort the crocodile line of kids, a ‘driver’ at the front and a ‘conductor’ at the back. It’s time saving for parents, and a healthy, social and fun way for children to get to school.
The supervisors can either be parents or staff from the school, and many schemes work by having several volunteers who rotate the supervising responsibilities.
Backseat kids
The walking bus was created in response to the growing trend of parents driving their children to school. Today, most children live just over a mile from their school, yet the number travelling there by car has doubled over the past 20 years.
In 1971, 80% of children walked to school without an adult, by 2006 the figure had dropped to 12% of seven to 10-year-olds.
Naturally, all parents want to protect their children from potential danger but too much car travel may not be the best way of doing so. Childhood obesity and diabetes are just some of the issues that face children today.
There is also the environmental pollution from car emissions. Relatively speaking short car journeys are actually more polluting than longer journeys, as cold engines produce 60% more fumes, and use more fuel, than warm engines.
The walking bus also encourages kids to make healthy lifestyle choices and introduces them to road safety awareness before they start walking to school independently. Advocates say it can also help children gain an understanding of the how their choices can benefit the environment, as well as involving them in their local community.
Safety first
There are a few rules and regulations when it comes to setting up a walking bus. All volunteers and children who take part in the walking bus scheme should be provided with road safety training.
Fluorescent jackets must also be worn by all members of the scheme (adults too) to improve visibility to drivers. These should be provided free of charge by either the local council or the school.
All volunteers will be police checked, and the ratio of adults to children must not exceed 1 to 8 for juniors and 1 to 4 for infants. All children who want to take part in the scheme will need to apply through the school and a daily register will be taken.
Set up and go
If you want to set up your own walking bus scheme, the best idea is to arrange a meeting with the school and contact the travel adviser at your local authority (most local authorities should have one). The council have run training courses for volunteers, and new volunteers can ask to be accompanied by a road safety officer on their first journey. They may also cover some of the school’s administrative costs associated with setting up a walking bus.
The next big step is to start recruiting volunteers and members as well as initiating publicity, whether this is through a school newsletter, website or word of mouth. If you haven’t already contacted parents and carers you could send out a letter setting out the benefits for children and parents.
Your route will be influenced by where the children and volunteers live, and it should not be too long – ideally no more than a mile. Once you have decided on the route, you will need to arrange a risk assessment. A road safety officer will carry this out your local authority should be able to organise this for you.
Other options
If a walking bus isn’t a feasible option for getting your child to school, there are still alternatives to car travel.
Schools with a large number of students living outside the local area may already offer a school bus service, or consider setting one up given sufficient interest. Contact the head of the school for more information.
Cycling to school, either on a tandem or independently of your child, is another great way for kids to learn road safety, and get some exercise. And if you do take the car, be aware of congestion around the school gates, which can put passengers and pedestrians at risk. Parking a distance from the school and walking the rest can be a safer, healthier and greener alternative for all.