MORE than eight out of ten parents want to stop their school-run, a survey has found.
Transport campaign group Sustrans surveyed 5,994 parents across the West Midlands, which found that although more than a third (36.6 per cent) of parents drove their children to school, less than a fifth (19.7 per cent) wanted to.
Concerns about safety appear to be the main reason. Of those who responded, 41 per cent wanted safer road crossings while 27.8 per cent felt that fewer cars near to schools would encourage their child to travel actively.
Nearly a quarter of parents (24.4 per cent) said wider pavements kept in good order would make it easier for their child to walk, cycle or scoot to school.
One parent told the Sustrans survey: “We would love to cycle more but the roads are too congested with parked cars and fast moving cars. The pavements are too narrow, it’s just not safe”.
Another added: “We moved to be able to walk / scoot / cycle to school. It’s the volume of cars around school drop off time that is just overwhelming and creates stress.”
Commenting on the findings Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, said: “We welcome this feedback from parents because giving people the opportunity to choose cycling or walking for shorter journeys is very much part of the plan we are working on to improve the public transport network across the region. That is why at Transport for West Midlands we are busy investing £40 million in a variety of projects, including development of our recently launched ‘Starley Network’ of safe cycle routes. All about helping people make their choice if they want to swap their cars for bikes on those shorter journeys around the region like the school run.”
Tim Egan, Sustrans Interim Head of Delivery for the Midlands and East, said: “As pupils return to school this September the findings are another reminder to policy makers that people want to see more investment in active travel. Although many parents currently drive their kids to schools it’s clear most want to ditch the car. Only 3% of them say their children usually cycle to school but almost six times as many (17.7%) would like them to. In response, policy-makers should direct investment towards safer infrastructure and support more traffic-free initiatives near schools. That’s why Sustrans is working together with local and national government to make the changes necessary.”
