School travel
Transport is the biggest source of carbon emissions in the UK, at 26% of our national carbon footprint. Sustainable transport also means safer streets and healthier students, so there are multiple reasons to take on the challenge of school travel.
What can schools do?
Walking to school
Three quarters of children walked to school in 1975. Forty years later that had fallen to less than half. There are so many benefits, let’s bring it back!
Living Streets have extensive resources for organising a campaign, including Walk to School Week.
Teach children road safety – there are resources from the charity Brake.
Work with parent volunteers to organise a ‘walking school bus’ or crossing wardens.
Cycling proficiency
Riding a bike is a really useful skill that will serve students well beyond their school years.
See Bikeability for cycle training, or Sustrans. Could a member of staff train as a cycling instructor as part of their CPD?
Make sure that children have somewhere safe and dry to store their bikes during the school day.
Cycle to School Week takes place every September.
Reduce local traffic
Traffic outside schools is a problem all over the town. We are experimenting with the first Traffic Exclusion Zones in the area, with the first pilot scheme at Denbigh Primary School. These take time to design and implement, but will hopefully become a feature of the town’s schools.
The School Streets campaign has more about how these work.
Luton has anti-idling laws, which means drivers should be switching off while waiting. Remind parents!
Staff travel
Everyone will need to make the right choice for their own commute, but you can remove barriers to sustainable options.
Be a bike-friendly employer. Register with the government’s Bike2Work scheme so that staff can buy a tax-free bike or e-bike.
Fit an electric car charge point for staff – there’s a government grant for this.
You can also encourage car-sharing.
Zero Carbon Luton 