A new campaign is asking families in Lichfield and Burntwood to reduce the number of car journeys on the school run.
The #INTOschooltravel social media initiative by Staffordshire County Council is urging parents to use more active travel options such as walking or cycling.
The push coincides with Walk to School Week, which runs until 21st May.
Cllr David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport at Staffordshire County Counci, said:
“Walking, scootering or cycling to school has so many benefits for the community and it’s something we are keen to see more of.
“Not only does it help to keep parents and children fit and healthy but it helps to ease congestion and reduce air pollution.
“Over the last few years our school travel advisors have been working closely with schools to encourage more parents and their children to use active travel.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen many more people walking and cycling and we are keen to see this continue.
“We’re excited about Walk to School Week and our new social media channels and hope to be able to reach out to families and show them how easy active travel can be built into their everyday activity.
“With some great competitions with prizes on offer too, it’s a great time to get involved.”
Cllr David Williams, Staffordshire County Council
More details about the campaign are available at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/intoschooltravel.
If you need to use any shop near to a school forget it as every car space and local roads are taken by parents waiting to pick up their kids!
A worthy initiative and to be welcomed. Can they make improving the cycle paths part of this?
Yeah it’s terrible on the oakdene now their parking on the main road by the school in competition to get the closest so their little darlings don’t have to walk too far!
Might I suggest councillor David Williams to make observations outside ANY school at 3_00pm to see how close he can get to the entrances without being obstructed by parked cars on yellow lines ? The only answer is to get those employed by the council to deter illegal parking is to issue tickets outside schools instead of concentrating on town centres ? Action not Words councillor ?
There is car’s parked outside my house and the roads near all day by kids driving their cars to school people who visit like hairdresser or gardeners,care workers have no where to park.so this getting people to cycle and walk is a load of rubbish,perhaps while they are parking in our roads,we should be allowed to park in the school..
I live fairly close to 2 Schools, often at chucking in and out times my little cul-de-sac is bunged up with abandoned, not parked, cars and before anyone says, yes but the schools were there before you moved in, let me say that when we moved in 30yrs ago, most, if not all parents walked their kids to school.
These cars are abandoned on pedestrian crossing zig zag lines, on and around corners of roads, both of which are illegal. After dropping the kids off these same people will stand rabbiting for up to 20mins sometime on the pavement sometimes in the road without a care or though for the residents who want to get off their drives and go out
It often amazes me to see the same abandoned car with a parent in it sometimes
25-30mins before the school chucks out, if they can wait that long they ought to be able to walk to pick their kids up !
I agree totally with “ Annoyed “ also…Cannot understand why Mothers load their 4×4 .s which takes 15 minutes, and then drive them less than 5 minutes to school. Just walk. …
The misery of commentators on this site still continues to amaze me.
The article is about a campaign urging people to find alternatives to the car on the school run. The comments section is full of people complaining about the campaign because too many people use their cars on the school run.
You couldn’t make it up.
Don’t get in the way of a good whinge with sensible comment. Make the roads safe for cyclists first! Start with Rugeley Road Burntwood (Swan Island). Laurel Drive and Gorstey Ley are car parks; even with request signs some park fully on the pavements. So give them an incentive to walk or cycle by making it safe, and stop the speeding 4x4s.