Why Walk to School?

• People in cars can suffer three times as much pollution as pedestrians because they are sitting in the line of the exhaust fumes from the car in front.

It’s free!

• Walking instead of driving saves, on average, £400 per year.

It’s easy

• Everyone can factor walking into their school journey- you don’t need any special equipment.

• Walking can help develop independence. Children will learn road safety skills which will help them with the journey to secondary school later in life.

• Most parents and children can comfortably walk 1 mile in around 20 minutes!

It’s healthy for your children and for you

• Walking to school is a great way for your children to increase their levels of exercise. According to the NHS, 9 out of 10 children could grow up with life threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease partly because they aren’t getting enough exercise.

• Up to 72% of children aren’t meeting the recommended 60 minutes of exercise per daywalking to school is a great way to help get those minutes up!

• Walking with your children is good for you too - it improves your heart and circulation, increases mental health and wellbeing, helps with weight loss and boosts your immune system.

We all know that there are good reasons to walk to school, but read on and you might discover a few things you didn’t know!

It’s green

• Leaving the car at home will reduce your carbon footprint and help you to make a difference to the environment. In the UK the school run is estimated to be responsible for over 2 million tonnes of CO2 emitted each year which is more than the annual CO2 emissions of the Bahamas.

• More people walking and fewer cars on the road during the school run also means less pollution for everyone to breathe in.

• 1 in 5 cars in the morning rush hour is on the school run – if we all try walking that journey more often, we will make a huge impact on congestion in our towns and cities.

It’s social

• Walking to school is a great chance to socialise. 62% of parents that walk say their children get to socialise with others before they arrive at the school gates, as opposed to only 31% of children who are driven

(Extract from Living Streets, 2009.  See attached pdf for full walk to school parents guide).

Find out more at:

Website: www.walktoschool.org.uk

Email: walktoschool@livingstreets.org.uk

Tel: 020 7377 4900