Our City is popular – and growing! As an ever increasing number of people realise what a fantastic place St Albans is to live, the number of children going to school and the the number of cars on the road increases too. As we have several areas where schools are close together, the school run creates congestion (of a fairly monumental level in places) for the best part of 40 weeks per year. How can this be improved? The Living Streets Campaign is trying to help.
In the busy lives of parents, often driving to school allows them the few extra minutes to get to work on time or to drop children at different schools. Many of those who drive would love to walk their children to school but the practicalities of life just get in the way – so the campaign has set up a scheme that encourages those who do drive, to park a little further away and to inspire whole schools to walk more often.
Walk to School Week happens every May, we know that schools in Harpenden are using the WOW scheme (Walk Once a Week) and some schools in St Albans are using the Living Streets Travel Tracker to record every morning how pupils get to school. Those who meet the target each month are rewarded with a badge – so the regular walkers are proudly displaying rows of these on their uniforms. There has been an increase in those who walk and also those who “park and stride” – which eases congestion around the schools too. The 2014 report makes interesting reading.
With more children walking comes the need for a greater awareness about road safety – and although the Living Streets campaign can help with this, it’s a subject that needs reinforcing on a regular basis – not just in the odd assembly here and there. It’s down to all of us to make sure our children are road aware – and that we as motorists drive and park safely too.
If you’re walking past us to school in the morning (or indeed on the way home in the afternoon) do say hello – and if you’re wearing a Strider badge, we’ll know what it is now!
