Jenny said,"It is great that Mayor Livingstone is giving extra money for children’s safety, but he is giving twice as much to local councils for bridge strengthening. Which is more of a priority? Dealing with parental fears, or strengthening roads in London so that 44 ton lorries can use them?"
Commenting further, Jenny said,"Safe Route to School schemes are part of an ongoing campaign to beat the school run, improve the environment and keep children healthier.
The dramatic increase in the number of school runs in London is part of a cycle of fear which we have to break. More cars mean more traffic danger, more fumes and tighter limits on children’s freedom. We need to deal with parental fears of road traffic. Parents shouldn’t have to wait the predicted 16 years for their school to be covered by one of these Safe Route to School schemes."
Jenny has spent the last three years pressing Mayor Livingstone to expand the £5m budget for Safe Route to School schemes to cover every London child. Such schemes have been shown to reduce traffic across London, ease parental fears and cut down on the number of children killed and injured on their way to school.
A survey carried out last year found that only about 200 out of the
2,304 schools in London have had some form of safe route treatment. The walking buses, combined with speed cushions, new pedestrian crossings, educational activities, cycle training and 20mph zones around schools are examples of Safe Route measures. Jenny Jones is urging to Mayor to use some of the estimated £130m a year due to be raised from congestion charging to pay for a Safe Route for all schools in London.
Pilot studies show that the number of school run cars could be cut in
half by these schemes. Nationally, 18% of car trips in the morning peak are due to children being driven to school. The Safe Routes schemes could also help cut child casualties. In 1999, over a quarter of child pedestrian casualties in London were children on their way to school.
ENDS