Caption: Spike the road safety hedgehog, Cllr Stuart Andrew, Nieve Deighton and Daniel Illingworth at the scoot to school launch
Pupils from Templenewsam Halton Primary School in Leeds are doing their bit to cut traffic around their school by ditching journeys by car in favour of a more healthy alternative.
The school has signed up to pilot the ‘scoot to school’ scheme, which gives pupils the chance to loan micro-scooters to travel to and from classes on, in a bid to cut congestion and improve road safety in the area.
The ‘scoot to school’ scheme is part of a wider project, which aims to reduce the number of cars on the roads for the school run. A brand new yellow bus service is also now stopping at the school, and the children have set up a reward scheme where classes that reduce car travel the most win a prize. So setting a good example has never been so rewarding!
Scooter sheds have been provided for the scooters to be stored in during the day, and the children have all taken part in safety training delivered by the council’s road safety team. The aim of the scheme is to encourage more children to get active and have some fun on their way to school, whilst helping to reduce traffic and improve the local environment.
Councillor Stuart Andrew, lead member with responsibility for travel and transport said:
“We are very excited about this scooter trial, and I would like to thank Templenewsam Halton Primary School for agreeing to take part and for their enthusiasm about the scheme. Projects like this are a great way to encourage parents and children to change the way they choose to travel. They also support the school’s travel plan, which aims to increase the numbers of children, walking, scooting and cycling to school."
Staff at Templenewsam Halton Primary school are also getting involved, with some members of staff signing up to the ‘Bike to Work’ scheme offered by Leeds City Council.
Kay Crellin, headteacher of the school said:
“We are always keen to support walk to school initiatives, as they make such a positive contribution to keeping our children healthy and safe. Our children and their parents are very enthusiastic about the ‘scoot to school’ scheme, and the ‘My Bus’ scheme is being well used and the children really enjoy it.
“We hope that these initiatives will help to reduce the number of cars on the roads around our school, and make journeys at the start and the end of the school day safer for our children.”
Leeds NHS are also taking a keen interest in the trial which they are expecting will improve the fitness of children taking part.
Jan Burkhardt of the NHS said:
“NHS Leeds views active travel as crucial to tackling childhood obesity and increasing physical activity levels of children. The scoot to school initiative has great potential to increase active travel to school, and is fun and appealing to children and their parents. It is also currently a safer option than cycling to school in areas where cycling may not be appropriate for young children. We fully support this initiative and would ideally like to see it evaluated and rolled out to other areas”
ENDS
Notes to editors
The yellow bus and School Reward Scheme started in early January and Templenewsam Halton Primary is already seeing a reduction in the number of pupils travelling to school by car.
The initial results of the trial and the effectiveness of scooter travel to school can be, will be known after Easter 2010.
For media enquiries, please contact;
Claire Macklam, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 395 1578
Email: claire.macklam@leeds.gov.uk
