Jo puts best foot forward for Walk to School Week
May 12, 2008 9:05 AM
Jo Swinson joined pupils for the walk to Mosshead Primary
Jo Swinson hopes rush hour won't be quite so rushed when local primary school children take part in Walk to School Week, 12th - 16th May 2008.
Jo is supporting local residents taking part in the UK-wide campaign to get families to leave their cars at home and walk to school where possible.
She said:
"I hope that this week, families in East Dunbartonshire will be able to plan a break from the school-run routine and encourage their children to enjoy the benefits of walking to school.
"By walking, children will not only get exercise, they will also have the opportunity to reconnect with their local environment and community. As well as taking in the fresh air, they can benefit from quality time spent with family and friends during the walk, without having to deal with the stress of rush hour traffic."
Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Living Streets, the charity which organises Walk to School Week, added:
"Fuel prices going up is a chance for us all to examine how reliant we've become on our cars. As a nation, we're getting lazier by the decade and now grab the car keys for one in five journeys less than a mile. The school run is a particular offender - it's short, stop-start journeys like this that use the most fuel and cause the most pollution."
According to the Dept for Transport the number of children in the UK travelling to school by car has doubled over the past 20 years.
The average drive to primary school and back produces enough carbon dioxide to inflate 60 balloons.
According to the Dept of Health, nearly 30% of children aged two to 15 were classed as overweight or obese in 2006.
Living Streets (in conjunction with ACT TravelWise) runs the Walk to School campaign, with funding from the Department for Transport and Transport for London and has an additional office in Edinburgh.
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