‘ Active’ travel to school falls to record low among pupils
● Proportion of children driven to school at highest level for a decade
The proportion of primary and secondar y pupils who use active travel modes to get to school has fallen to its lowest level since records began, according to a new nationwide survey.
Only 48.7 per cent of children said they walk, cycle, scooter, or skate to classes, a 0.1 point decline on the previous year, and the lowest figure since the Hands Up Scotland survey began in 2008.
The annual snapshot of how more than half a million Scottish children get to school or nurser y also f ound 1 16,221 were driven in a private car or taxi, accounting for nearly a quarter ( 24.8 per cent) of the total, the highest level since 2009, a small rise on the previous 12 months.
And while the number of children who cycle to classes also reached an all- time high, with 17,738 getting on their saddles, the number accounts for just 3.8 per cent of pupils across the country.
Obesity campaigners said parents had to take greater responsibility to ensure their children maintain active lifestyles, and called on schools to provide incentives for youngsters to walk or cycle to school.
The survey, carried out by Sustrans S cotland i n partnership with all 32 Scottish local authorities, shows that 198,980 pupils ( 42.5 per cent) said they normally walk to school. That marks a slight rise on the record low of 42.3 per cent recorded in 2017, but remains well below the 48.3 per cent of pupils in 2008 who said they walked to school.
Overall, the proportion of pupils taking a bus to school has decreased from 18.2 per cent in 2008 to 16.2 per cent in 2018, another record low.
However, the percentage of pupils normally travelling to school by “park and stride” – where they are driven part of the way, and walk the remaind e r o f t h e j o u r n e y – h a s increased from 6.1 per cent in 2008 to a high of 9.8 per cent.
The survey also found that pupils in state schools reported higher active travel levels ( 49.1 per cent) compared with independent school pupils ( 16.2 per cent), nearly half of whom ( 46.9 per cent) were driven to school.
Tam Fr y, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: “Parents are responsible for ensuring their children carry out one hour of brisk activity every day, and the majority of that can be done by walking or cycling to school.
“We have seen the success of initiatives like ‘ walking trains’ which make the activity fun and communal, and I would like to see children incentivi sed via badges or reward schemes. You would find that makes a tremendous difference to their health.”
John Lauder, national director of Sustrans Scotland, said: “It’s encouraging to see cycling and ‘ park and stride’ numbers continue t o i ncrease. Research has s hown t hat increased physical activit y can help children lead happier, healthier lives, while contributing to lowering pollution around their school gates.
“We need t o continue t o monitor the reduction in bus use, and seek to identify ways that active travel can be a viable alternative, rather than the private car.”
A Tr a n s p o r t S c o t l a n d spokesman said: “We remain confident that the Scottish Government’s recent investment will lead to an increase in the number of children walking or cycling to school in the coming years.
“While over a l l numbers have remained relatively stable, there are positive signs, including the fact that cycling rates are now at the highest cent normally cycle, skate l evel. We continue to f und l o c a l a ut hor i t i e s d i r e c t l y through the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets Grant, which this year is £ 8.9 million.”