Northern Ireland

Sustrans: Increase in children involved in initiative encouraging active travel to school in NI over past decade

Sustrans encourages children to walk, scoot or cycle; improving their health, road safety and congestion at the school gates
Sustrans encourages children to walk, scoot or cycle; improving their health, road safety and congestion at the school gates (monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
By Suzanne McGonagle

There has been an increase in the number of children involved in an initiative aimed at encouraging active travel to school in Northern Ireland over the past decade.

Sustrans says that more than 500 schools across the north have participated in the ‘Active School Travel’ programme as it marks 10 years of the initiative.

In the past year alone, children walking or cycling to participating schools rose from 30% to 42%, while the numbers being driven fell from 60% to 47%.

Funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department for Infrastructure (DfI), Sustrans has been working with schools since 2013 to encourage active travel skills and behaviour changes to help children make more sustainable, healthier travel choices for the rest of their lives.

It said there has been a rise in the number of children involved in the programme each year over the past decade.

However, it said the low level of physical activity among children and young people in Northern Ireland is still a major health concern, with more than a quarter of children overweight or living with obesity.

For those children participating in the programme, the number completing recommended levels of physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day increased from 29% to 46% this year.

Siobhan McQuaid, principal of Holy Family Primary School, said the programme has been “such a positive experience for our school community”.

“We are keen to support more children to walk and cycle to school to benefit their physical and mental health, to reduce congestion and pollution outside our school, to help families save money, and to help build important lifelong skills.”

Celebrating 10 years of the Active School Travel programme, funded by PHA and DfI, are (l – r): Miss Siobhan McQuaid, Principal, Holy Family PS, Belfast; Peter McParland, Department for Infrastructure: Xavier Brice, CEO, Sustrans; Sharan Dustagheer, Department for Infrastructure, Beverley Gaston, Sustrans; and Sinead Morrison, Holy Family PS Active Travel Co-ordinator with pupils the school.
Siobhan McQuaid, principal of Holy Family PS, Peter McParland of DfI, Xavier Brice from Sustrans, Sharan Dustagheer of DfI, Beverley Gaston from Sustrans, and Sinead Morrison, Holy Family PS with pupils the school. PICTURE: SUSTRANS

Xavier Brice from Sutrans said: “We are thrilled to mark a decade of this superb Active School Travel programme, and to celebrate these amazing results for the children and their schools.

“More and more schools want to help their pupils enjoy better physical and mental health through active journeys.

“Like Sustrans, they believe every child should be able to safely walk, wheel and cycle to school – exactly what this programme helps support.”