Improved transport links needed for schoolchildren in Scotland?

Date: 21/5/2010

Children should be given further encouragement to actively travel to school, either by walking or cycling.

That is the suggestion of Sustrans Scotland, which emphasised the need for such measures after it conducted a survey showing a decline in kids travelling on foot.

National director of the organisation John Lauder observed that an increase is seen in places where money is spent on making cycling and walking easier.

And he noted certain areas are taking steps to ensure participation rises, adding: "We welcome the recent spending increase of £10 million for sustainable transport and the important role it will play in encouraging more children to cycle and walk to school."

The study identified a 0.5 percentage point decline in the number of youngsters making the trip on bikes over the last year, while walking was down 1.3 percentage points.

National Walk to School Week has been taking place over the last few days, with charity Living Streets noting learning about road safety is one of the major benefits of this form of transport.