SCHOOL runs by car reached their highest ever recorded level last year in Scotland while walking slumped to a record low according to a new report.

More than a quarter of pupils surveyed by the eco-transport group Sustrans Scotlan said they used private motorised transport to get to school each day, with 23.8% reporting they arrived by car - the highest level since the survey began in 2008.

Despite remaining the most frequently reported mode of travel to school in Scotland 'active travel', which can involve walking or cycling, fell to its lowest recorded level over the same period.

Of the 47.8% of pupils who reported travelling actively to school, 41.0% walked, 4.1% cycled and 2.7% scootered or skated. Cycling to school is at its highest recorded level, whereas walking to school is at its lowest recorded level.

Sustrans Scotland said that afer a high of 50.4% in 2014, active travel has steadily declined to a low of 47.8% last year.

It said that streets need to be safer outside of the coronavirus lockdown to persuade people to abandon cars when children go back to school.

Living Streets Scotland, which campaigns for walkers, described the figures as “extremely disappointing”.

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Commenting on the findings Sustrans Scotland's national director John Lauder acknowledged that travel habits have changed during the coronavirus crisis, but that there was an opportunity to increase 'active travel' as lockdown is eased and children go back to school.

"What we have seen during lockdown, with fewer cars on the road, is that people will change their behaviour if they feel their streets are safer," he said.

"Travel patterns will have inevitably changed as a result of lockdown. It is important we make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way.

"Our streets cannot afford more congestion and air pollution and our children cannot afford more inactivity after months of homeschooling. Let's bring back something better.

"We need to make it easier and safer for children, parents and teachers to travel in an active and sustainable way, once schools re-open in August.

"Only then will we be able to ensure that walking, cycling and scooting is seen as a viable alternative to the private car."

The Herald:

The report is seens as a useful indicator of trends in how children travel to school, and assists government to identify what needs to be improved to help more children travel actively every day.

The findings form part of the annual Hands Up Scotland Survey, an official statistic in Scotland which is funded by Transport Scotland.

The survey was carried out in September 2019 by Sustrans Scotland in partnership with all 32 Scottish local authorities and over three in four state schools in Scotland took part, including 472,617 school pupils.

It found that walking to school had steadily dropped from 45.8% ten years ago to 41% now.

But the increasing trend in cycling amongst school pupils has continued in 2019, rising from 2.8% in 2010 to the highest recorded levels of 4.1% last year.

It also found that bus use also continues to decline from 18.2% in 2010 to the lowest recorded level of 16.0% in 2019, while the percentage of pupils travelling to school by park and stride - driven part of the way and walk the rest - increased to a high of 10.2%.

The findings also reveal a difference in active travel between independent and state schools. 44.5% of pupils from independent schools are driven to school whereas just 23.6% of state school pupils are driven.

Living Streets Scotland director Stuart Hay said: “These results are incredibly disappointing and show there is a lot of work to be done to make walking to school a viable option.

The Herald:

“We know from our work with schools across Scotland that families are put off walking to school by traffic, road danger and air pollution.

“By removing cars, we remove these barriers.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "We remain confident that the Scottish Government’s record investment in active travel will lead to an increase in the number of children walking or cycling to school in the coming years.

“While overall numbers have remained relatively stable, there are positive signs, including the fact that cycling rates are now at the highest level.

“We continue to fund local authorities directly through the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets Grant, which has increased this year to £23.9m.”