Living Streets launches walk to school publications

Living Streets last week launched two new publications to support the Walk to School Campaign. Living Streets works on practical projects to create safe, vibrant and healthy streets for all.

When children see a car coming as they try to cross the road, they think the driver can see them. But drivers often don’t see children and the results can be fatal. In fact, eye contact is lost once a driver goes faster than 20 mph. That is just one of the fascinating facts Philip Connolly reveals in his ‘Safer School Journeys: A DIY Guide to Assessing the Route to School for Children and Their Carers’.

It looks at the journey to school from the child’s point of view so that children and their school communities can assess what’s safe and not safe. Schools are increasingly being asked to establish school travel groups and draw up travel plans to encourage walking, and advise on engineering works that would improve the safety of routes to school.

School communities and local authorities will also find the new Walk to School Campaign Guide a useful tool as they prepare for Walk to School Weeks.

"It brings together ideas for organising local campaigns, details of campaigns that have been tried and tested in schools throughout the UK, and new ideas for campaign development," says Jo Pike, national walk to school campaign co-ordinator and author of the guide. "It can be used by anyone involved in promoting sustainable school journeys and healthier lifestyles for pupils."

The publications was unveiled on Friday 30 April at the ‘Going to Walk in London – Good Going’ campaign launch at St Katherine’s Dock, Tower Bridge, London E1. ITV’s ‘Britain on the Move’ campaign to promote the benefits of walking was also launched at the same event.

For further information contact Hester Brown, press and parliamentary officer at Living Streets on 020 7820 1010, hester.brown@livingstreets.org.uk