A LACK of safe routes is preventing more children and families walking, scooting or wheeling to school, according to a leading transport charity.
Sustrans is renewing calls for more investment in creating better routes to school as it marks Road Safety Week, which began yesterday.
The charity said it believes better infrastructure will persuade parents and carers to ditch driving in favour of cheaper, healthier alternatives to get children safely to the school gate.
A recent survey of the 60 new schools across Northern Ireland which have joined Sustrans’ Active School Travel Programme found the majority had no cycle paths near their school and no cycle parking provision.
Many had no traffic calming measures or road crossings in a suitable place near the school entrance.
Nearly three-quarters - 44 schools - described the vicinity around the school as "congested with traffic" throughout the school day. Other figures reveal just 10 per cent - six schools - have permanent 20mph speed limits outside the school gates.
Four schools have 50mph or 60mph speed limits and no traffic calming measures in place outside the school, while two schools have no footpaths and have 50mph or 60mph speed limits and no traffic calming measures.
The programme, funded jointly by the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency, aims to increase the number of pupils at primary and post-primary schools making the journey to school by active travel such as a walk, scoot or wheel, rather than by car.
Beth Harding from Sustrans said: "As an important requirement of the Active School Travel Programme, we completed a basic infrastructure audit with the 60 new schools that joined the programme this year in September 2022. The audit highlights the many barriers to more children and families travelling actively to school.
"While we teach them knowledge and skills to increase their confidence, it needs to be easier for these children to be able to travel actively on foot, scoot or cycle with safe routes and secure and dry cycle parking available.
"Although this is only a small sample number of schools, we know from experience it is a snapshot of the situation of many other schools in Northern Ireland.
"Much more needs to be done in terms of safety infrastructure to convince parents and carers that they can make the short journey to school any way other than by car which brings associated financial and environmental costs."
