‘Breath of fresh air’ as children encouraged to scoot to school
HUNDREDS OF scooters are being given to primary schools under a new scheme to tackle air pollution and improve health among young people.
The project in Leeds will encourage children to scoot to school, instead of being dropped off by car.
Scooters and places to park them will be provided at 30 schools in the city, most within a Clean Air Charging Zone, which is set to levy payments on heavy polluting trucks, cars and taxis.
Bosses at Leeds City Council hope the scooter scheme will reduce the number of cars on the school run and help meet air quality targets.
Coun James Lewis, executive board member for sustainability and the environment, said: “This new scheme means a breath of fresh air for children in Leeds, both figuratively and literally.
“Instead of a boring drive to class, children will now be able to safely scoot to school with their friends and parents instead, which is a lot more fun. We’re planning to target 30 schools where we think the scheme will be most effective.
“However, if the scheme proves popular and successful at tackling local air pollution, we could expand the scheme to even more schools.”
From January 2020, drivers of certain vehicles will face costs of up to £50 per day to enter the Clean Air Charging Zone.
Elsewhere, unwanted bicycles are now being collected from across the region, as part of a new scheme to encourage more people to take up cycling.
Old bicycles are also being repaired and lent out to families for free, as part of the Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries scheme.