Parents dislike the school run because of congestion, new survey

Three out of five parents in the UK do not enjoy the daily school run because of congestion, according to a new survey commissioned by walking and cycling charity Sustrans. 

Recent figures have shown that road despite the drop in traffic during lockdown, congestion levels have now exceeded those from this time last year.

According to a survey which involved over 1,000 parents of children under 16, seven in ten (71%) parents agree that local authorities should take steps to make it easier for families to walk and cycle to school.

Building more cycle routes that are separate from road traffic was identified amongst parents as the number one intervention that would help them and their children to cycle to school.

Based on these findings, Sustrans is calling on local authorities across the UK to implement low traffic neighbourhoods and school streets as ways to remove traffic from residential areas and to help encourage more children to walk and cycle to school. 

The charity has said that the Government should enact part 6 of the Road Traffic Management Act as soon as possible to give local authorities the powers to enforce school streets.

Xavier Brice, CEO at Sustrans said: ‘These figures highlighting why parents currently dislike the school run clearly show that more needs to be done by local authorities to help make walking and cycling the easiest and most appealing options for families travelling to school.

‘The journey to school shouldn’t have to be a stressful or negative part of the day, and yet it seems that way for a lot of families across the country.

‘As schools have now returned following closures amid Covid-19, families are looking for safe and socially distanced ways to travel.

‘Therefore, there is a real risk people will be locked into car dependency, causing gridlock and adding to dangerous levels of pollution, unless councils provide viable alternatives by making walking and cycling safer for everyday journeys, including the school run.’

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