London Borough of Croydon

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Walking and cycling to school

Schools and pedestrians

Everyone knows how much better traffic conditions are during school holidays, with less congestion leading to less pollution. Yet trips to school only represent a small proportion of car trips overall - which shows the difference a relatively small change in behaviour can make.

Most children live within one to two miles of their school - usually a short walk of less than 15 minutes.  Parents or guardians who drive these short journeys make up a sizable proportion of the rush hour traffic. 

Fewer cars in the area of a school also lessens the chance of accidents.

The 'Walk to School' project is about parents, guardians and children discovering the benefits of walking to school, helping to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle pollution, and creating the opportunity for children to learn the skills needed to cross roads safely.

Walking Buses are now in operation in the south of the borough, where each day groups of parents take turns accompanying a group of children to school, picking up children along the route. The benefits are:

  • walking is a good way to keep fit
  • they create a chance to teach vital road safety skills
  • they reduces pollution and are environmentally friendly
  • they improve the air quality, assisting those who suffer from asthma and related problems.

Safer Routes to School

We are carrying out surveys to establish what problems and hazards might affect the routes taken by children and parents/guardians on their journey to and from school. The 'Safer Routes to School' project will consist of a combination of physical measures, such as improving sight lines and providing pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes, as well as education about the best route to take and how to use crossing facilities properly. School safety projects, supplemented by 'Safer Routes to School', will be introduced outside and near schools in the borough.

Walking strategy

Our 'Walking Strategy' sets out our approach for the borough and discusses the development and implementation of aims and objectives to promote and increase walking. It includes an action plan, which will help us deliver our Sustainable Transport Strategy, along with other strategies we have developed.

Contact Details

Contact name
Derek Stidder
Job title
Group Engineer
Telephone
020 8726 6000 ext 63881
Fax
020 8760 5486
Email
derek.stidder@croydon.gov.uk
Address
Traffic, Transportation & Road Safety
Taberner House
Park Lane
Croydon
CR9 1JT

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