Parents Could Save £642 A Year By Walking To School

Parents Could Save £642 A Year By Walking To School: According to new research published by Sustrans, parents could save as much as £642 per year if they chose to walk or cycle to school with their children. This figure represents a total saving of around £2 billion collectively per annum, and would also cut down on the 11 million daily journeys made to and from schools by car. {Tweet this}

Parents Could Save £642 A Year By Walking To School

Parents Could Save £642 A Year By Walking To School

On average, according to the research, primary school children live around 1.8 miles from their place of education – this equates to a 25 minute walk or a 15 minute cycle ride. Current figures suggest that only 2% of pupils cycle to primary school, with almost half (44%) being driven. In addition, physical activity among young people is now at an all-time low – with almost a third (28%) of under-16s now overweight or obese. {Tweet this}

The figures from Sustrans come in the charity’s annual ‘Bike to School Week’, which aims to promote the benefits of cycling, walking and scooting to school in order to reduce the number of car journeys taken to get kids in to primary and secondary education. The charity is also running a ‘Campaign for Safer Streets’ – urging parents to write to their MPs to demand that every child has the right to a safe journey to school.

Claire Francis, Head of Policy and Campaigns said that there are massive health and financial benefits to choosing cycle, scoot or walk to school in place of driving, and that given the fact that many families are struggling financially, these may be better ways to get children to school.

She went on to say that Sustrans was looking to encourage the government to do more to provide safe walking and cycling routes to schools as for many parents, the safety of their children was an issue.

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