More pupils at a North Tyneside primary school are walking or cycling to school after they worked with an award-winning team.
North Tyneside Council’s GoSmarter team organised a Car Free Day for Star of the Sea Primary School in Whitley Bay.
The event included playground sessions around the Green Cross Code, interactive classroom activities about traffic-related air pollution and a visit by ‘Dr Bike’ who carried out cycle repairs.
Not only was there a fall in car numbers to and from the school on the day, but a survey of car use the following week showed that many pupils were continuing to use sustainable travel methods.
The GoSmarter in North Tyneside initiative – delivered for the council by its partner Capita – aims to encourage sustainable travel. It not only seeks to change pupil, parent and staff behaviour but can also involve physical changes to streets near schools.
The initiative was shaped by a study of walking and cycling measures surrounding schools in the borough, which won the Sustainable Project of the Year at the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) North East & Cumbria Annual Awards earlier this month.
Star of the Sea Primary School Deputy Head Kathryn DiMambro said: “Our pupils are very keen to promote walking, cycling and scooting to school to help the environment and keep us healthy.
“Parents really engaged with the No Car Day and this has impacted positively ever since. We have found that we have fewer cars dropping children off at school and more parents are parking further away and walking to the school gates.”
Cllr Sarah Day, cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, said: “As the council’s cycling champion I know how important it is to promote the use of sustainable forms of travel and their benefits to our young people.
“Our Go Smarter team is working with schools across the borough to encourage the use of sustainable forms of transport.
“It’s great that schools like Star of the Sea are reacting so positively to the initiative.”
On the Car Free Day - October 12 - 66 per cent of pupils walked, cycled, scooted or used public transport compared with just 20 per cent of pupils the previous week. One week after the Car Free Day, 44 per cent of pupils were still using sustainable forms of travel.
For more information about GoSmarter in North Tyneside, please contact Paul Adams, Sustainable Transport Officer, (0191) 643 6125 or email gosmarter@northtyneside.gov.uk
