Active travel plea with schools set to return

Sunday 07 June 2020

With all States run schools set to fully re-open tomorrow, youngsters and their families are being encouraged to cycle or walk in order to establish positive habits and avoid traffic gridlock.

Alun Williams, who is the Be Active Lead at the Health Improvement Commission, said Monday's return to school represents a golden opportunity to take up new habits that will help people to lead happier, healthier lives.

The requirement to maintain social distancing on school buses and at the school gates means that school buses will operate with reduced seating. Mr Williams said the infrastructure around schools will struggle to cope if everyone who would have used the bus simply switches to travelling by car.

“During lockdown many people embraced the quieter roads, taking opportunities to walk and cycle," he said. "At the same time our leaders reinforced the importance of being active through allocation of time to exercise. There seems to be a desire to preserve this legacy of lockdown.

Pictured: Alun Williams, right, said active travel has many positive benefits to people's physical and mental health. He is pictured with his daughter and granddaughter. 

"Evidence indicates that an effective way to increase young people’s activity levels is through helping them to travel actively to and from school."

The benefits of active travel are manifold, and range from reducing carbon emissions, to establishing healthier long term habits, to supporting older students' independence and mobility. 

“We have seen how well Guernsey has worked together in recent weeks and here is another opportunity for us all to play our part in Guernsey Together," he said. 

“We’re delighted that the Committee for Environment and Infrastructure have offered to help put in place safe walking routes, pop-up infrastructure and other forms of physical support to create safer routes to schools. Using this as a foundation, everyone can play their part to help young people travel actively.”