As we travel more often and our journeys become longer, the issue of how we get around becomes ever more relevant. The way people travel is changing significantly, with many more car journeys and less walking and cycling every year. The transport issue directly affects schools and pupils; not just in terms of the environmental impact of the school run, but also in terms of road safety and pupils' health and fitness.
Participation in the Eco-Schools programme aims to suggest ways in which pupils, staff, communities and local government can work together to raise awareness of transport issues and come up with practical solutions that will make a real difference to pupils' everyday lives.
Use the icons below to find out more. Our Winter 2006 newsletter also contains information on this topic.
The big picture
Our growing use of cars has caused a variety of environmental, social and health impacts. Some are highly visible and directly relevant to everyday life: accident statistics show that our roads are dangerous, while traffic congestion has adverse effects on our health and wellbeing.
Other impacts are less immediately obvious but no less important. For example, the gases and chemicals released by engines make a large contribution to global warming and air pollution. Motor vehicles are the single biggest source of atmospheric pollution, contributing an estimated 14% of the world's CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning. Add the emissions from the exploration, transportation, refining and distribution of these fuels and the figure rises to 15-20% of world emissions.
Increasing amounts of urban traffic - partly caused by greater distances between home and places of work - have created more fear of traffic. This, coupled with parental fears about 'stranger danger' mean that more and more trips are being made by car. This has a number of consequences in terms of health and well-being, particulary for young people. Examples of this include:
- On average, one in seven children suffers from asthma; this increases to one in three in inner city areas.
- In slow-moving traffic, pollution levels are higher inside cars than outside.
Transport and Schools
It's estimated that one-fifth of all vehicles on our roads at 08.50am are involved in school travel. This means more danger and pollution from stationary vehicles around our young people.
The Eco-Schools programme aims to raise awareness of sustainable transport solutions. Sustainable transport is any means of transport which reduces fuel consumption, pollution and car use. This includes cycling, rail and bus transport, and walking.
The Useful Local Contacts section of this website contains further helpful information, and our Activities pages have additional ideas for you to try.
Has your school had a great idea for encouraging more eco-friendly travel? If so, why not share it with everyone in our Forum?
Transport - Eco-Schools Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Objectives
- encourage and enable children and parents to walk, cycle and use public transport.
- set up a working group (with the school, parents, local authority, community representatives, School Travel Planning Officer, the police and transport groups) to run a School Travel or Safer Routes to Schools project.
- write and implement a School Travel Plan.
- implement an effective road safety awareness programme for pupils.
- raise awareness about the impact of transport on the environment and people's health.
- provide adequate support and information about travelling to school for pupils and staff who wish to walk, cycle or use public transport.
Learning Outcomes
- Through work on the Transport topic, pupils will be enabled to:
- assess the impact of traffic on the local environment and the quality of people's lives.
- make proposals to improve the local environment and take part in local community initiatives to implement the proposals.
- use, interpret and draw maps, defining and using keys.
- collect, interpret and present information, using ICT where appropriate.
- communicate to a variety of audiences using suitable language.
- work co-operatively with others.
