Walking and wheeling to school can help children and parents have a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as supporting their independence, development and essential road safety awareness. Each morning and afternoon the streets around our schools are dangerous, congested places where many parents and carers – fearful of the dangers of traffic  - drop off their kids by car.

Over the last 10 years, the percentage of trips to school by car in the North west increased from 35% in 2012 to 56% in 2020, and walking decreased from 47% to 30%. Almost a quarter (23%) of cars on the road at peak times (08:35hrs) are taking children to school. 250 million car journeys in Greater Manchester are less than 1KM, the equivalent of a fifteen-twenty minute walk or five-ten minute cycle ride. Many of these journeys are for the school run. Department for Transport  - National Survey. 

Reducing traffic immediately outside the school gates will improve air quality, reducing the harmful effects of PM2.5 and NOx on the health of children and adults.

This council notes our existing commitment to improve air quality across the city and to work with schools to improve walking, cycling and wheeling and anti-idling initiatives. To further encourage more active travel to school. We will:

• Require every ward to make two commitments within their Climate Change Plan to improve and support active, sustainable travel to school.
• Increase participation in every ward in the ‘Living Streets WOW’ walking to school scheme, ModeshiftSTARS and Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.
• Develop a good practice school streets toolkit that enables schools to facilitate a safer school streets project.
• Actively promote World Car Free Day on 22 September 2022 and to encourage active travel to school initiatives on this day, to include all forms of walking, cycling, scooting and wheeling.
• Call on the government to recognise the importance of behaviour change interventions to reduce air pollution around schools and, to invest in enabling communities and residents to understand the impacts of their actions on air quality and what they can do to reduce it.

Proposed by Councillor Benham, seconded by Councillor Stogia and also signed by Councillors Chambers, Lovecy, Wilson and Stanton

Councillor Benham submitted the following motion, which was seconded by Councillor Stogia:-

Walking and wheeling to school can help children and parents have a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as supporting their independence, development and essential road safety awareness. Each morning and afternoon the streets around our schools are dangerous, congested places where many parents and carers – fearful of the dangers of traffic – drop off their kids by car.

Over the last 10 years, the percentage of trips to school by car in the North west increased from 35% in 2012 to 56% in 2020, and walking decreased from 47% to 30%. Almost a quarter (23%) of cars on the road at peak times (08:35hrs) are taking children to school. 250 million car journeys in Greater Manchester are less than 1KM, the equivalent of a fifteen-twenty minute walk or five-ten minute cycle ride. Many of these journeys are for the school run. Department for Transport  - National Survey. 

Reducing traffic immediately outside the school gates will improve air quality, reducing the harmful effects of PM2.5 and NOx on the health of children and adults.

This council notes our existing commitment to improve air quality across the city and to work with schools to improve walking, cycling and wheeling and anti-idling initiatives. To further encourage more active travel to school. We will:

·                Require every ward to make two commitments within their Climate Change Plan to improve and support active, sustainable travel to school.

·                Increase participation in every ward in the ‘Living Streets WOW’ walking to school scheme, ModeshiftSTARS and Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.

·                Develop a good practice school streets toolkit that enables schools to facilitate a safer school streets project.

·                Actively promote World Car Free Day on 22 September 2022 and to encourage active travel to school initiatives on this day, to include all forms of walking, cycling, scooting and wheeling.

·                Call on the government to recognise the importance of behaviour change interventions to reduce air pollution around schools and, to invest in enabling communities and residents to understand the impacts of their actions on air quality and what they can do to reduce it.

Councillor Bayunu submitted the following amendment to the motion which was seconded by Councillor Johnson:-

Walking and wheeling to school can help children and parents have a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as supporting their independence, development and essential road safety awareness. Each morning and afternoon the streets around our schools are dangerous, congested places where many parents and carers – fearful of the dangers of traffic – drop off their kids by car.

Over the last 10 years, the percentage of trips to school by car in the North west increased from 35% in 2012 to 56% in 2020, and walking decreased from 47% to 30%. Almost a quarter (23%) of cars on the road at peak times (08:35hrs) are taking children to school. 250 million car journeys in Greater Manchester are less than 1KM, the equivalent of a fifteen-twenty minute walk or five-ten minute cycle ride. Many of these journeys are for the school run. Department for Transport – National Survey. 

Reducing traffic immediately outside the school gates will improve air quality, reducing the harmful effects of PM2.5 and NOx on the health of children and adults.

This council notes our existing commitment to improve air quality across the city and to work with schools to improve walking, cycling and wheeling and anti-idling initiatives. To further encourage more active travel to school. We will:

·                Carry out a full review of the existing infrastructure that supports parents and schools’ ability to engage in active travel to school measures.

·                Conduct an audit of current provision from both Manchester and Greater Manchester, to check that our residents are accessing these and uncover any barriers.

·                Ensure that this motion is actioned alongside other motions passed by this council in the last 18 months, including ‘Road Safety and Children’ which was passed in March of this year.

·                Use the findings from the audit of provision, the review of infrastructure and the implementation of motions as above to ensure that we are improving in line with our ambitions for a safer and greener city.

·                Raise the profile of active travel to school on the council's website. Making it more prominent and easy to find - Front page One click access.

·                Review and increase access to resources for families to get help to fund active travel.

·                Make some immediate adjustment to current provision.

·                For example, In the face of the cost of living crisis, widen the eligibility criteria for funding for families for bicycles. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/100005/schools_and_education/7050/apply_for_a_secondary_school_cycle_voucher 

·                Ensure all actions identified are linked to the provision for safe walking and cycling routes around and to schools.

·                Encourage greater cross ward collaboration on initiatives and sharing of knowledge and experience between councillors and political parties.

·                Set up an Active Travel to School Councillors Forum that could lead on the review of current resources, how well they are being accessed by our resident’s city wide, and advocate for the actions in this motion to be implemented. The Forum will include representation from all Scrutiny Committees and be city wide and cross party.

Additionally, we will:

·                Require every ward to make two commitments within their Climate Change Plan to improve and support active, sustainable travel to school.

·                Increase participation in every ward in the ‘Living Streets WOW’ walking to school scheme, ModeshiftSTARS and Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.

·                Develop a good practice school streets toolkit that enables schools to facilitate a safer school streets project.

·                Actively promote World Car Free Day on 22 September 2022 and to encourage active travel to school initiatives on this day, to include all forms of walking, cycling, scooting and wheeling.

·                Call on the government to recognise the importance of behaviour change interventions to reduce air pollution around schools and, to invest in enabling communities and residents to understand the impacts of their actions on air quality and what they can do to reduce it. 

On the amendment being put to the vote, the Lord mayor declared it carried and subsequently, the amendment became the substantive motion.

On the substantive motion being put to the vote, the Lord Mayor declared it caried unanimously.

Decision

This Council will:-

·                Carry out a full review of the existing infrastructure that supports parents and schools’ ability to engage in active travel to school measures.

·                Conduct an audit of current provision from both Manchester and Greater Manchester, to check that our residents are accessing these and uncover any barriers.

·                Ensure that this motion is actioned alongside other motions passed by this council in the last 18 months, including ‘Road Safety and Children’ which was passed in March of this year.

·                Use the findings from the audit of provision, the review of infrastructure and the implementation of motions as above to ensure that we are improving in line with our ambitions for a safer and greener city.

·                Raise the profile of active travel to school on the council's website. Making it more prominent and easy to find - Front page One click access.

·                Review and increase access to resources for families to get help to fund active travel.

·                Make some immediate adjustment to current provision.

·                For example, In the face of the cost of living crisis, widen the eligibility criteria for funding for families for bicycles. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/100005/schools_and_education/7050/apply_for_a_secondary_school_cycle_voucher 

·                Ensure all actions identified are linked to the provision for safe walking and cycling routes around and to schools.

·                Encourage greater cross ward collaboration on initiatives and sharing of knowledge and experience between councillors and political parties.

·                Set up an Active Travel to School Councillors Forum that could lead on the review of current resources, how well they are being accessed by our resident’s city wide, and advocate for the actions in this motion to be implemented. The Forum will include representation from all Scrutiny Committees and be city wide and cross party.

Additionally, we will:

·                Require every ward to make two commitments within their Climate Change Plan to improve and support active, sustainable travel to school.

·                Increase participation in every ward in the ‘Living Streets WOW’ walking to school scheme, ModeshiftSTARS and Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.

·                Develop a good practice school streets toolkit that enables schools to facilitate a safer school streets project.

·                Actively promote World Car Free Day on 22 September 2022 and to encourage active travel to school initiatives on this day, to include all forms of walking, cycling, scooting and wheeling.

·                Call on the government to recognise the importance of behaviour change interventions to reduce air pollution around schools and, to invest in enabling communities and residents to understand the impacts of their actions on air quality and what they can do to reduce it.