Push for Lancashire's pupils to walk to school as councillor claims: 'Kids want to get out of the car, it's the parents who don't'

“Lancashire Walks to School Day” is set to take place on Friday 19th May after the idea was given the green light by Lancashire county councillors.

The initiative will provide an opportunity for children to highlight concerns about climate change, as well as having the potential to reduce traffic congestion.

It is also hoped that the event will limit – if only for a day – the dangers and negative health effects of cars parking close to school gates and leaving their engines running.

The proposal received unanimous support when it was put forward by Clitheroe division representative Sue Hind at a recent meeting of the full council.

“The physical and mental health benefits – combined with the pleasure – of walking outdoors, compared with a car journey, would be a change for some children and therefore memorable,” she said.

“Those pupils who live a longer distance from school might be able to participate by walking part of the way. We know that some schools already promote walking and cycling, but if it were to be encouraged county-wide it would be a giant step forward in more ways than one.”

Members also backed making resources available to help schools prepare for and take part in the trek to their classrooms.

Penwortham West county council.or David Howarth said that he hoped the idea would kickstart a sustained revolution in how children get to and from school.

“It’s the parents that we need to be educating, not the children. I’m sure lots of children would happily walk to school given the opportunity,” said County Clr Howarth, who lives in close proximity to three schools.

“I’ve got personal experience of how cars rock up at three o’clock in the afternoon. If it’s the winter, the engines are [kept] running because [the occupants] are too cold and if it’s in the summer, the engines are running because they’re too hot.

“I’m of an age where I really can’t date when the school run became a thing. Certainly when I was a child, you either walked to school or you got on a bus or you cycled.

“The more we can do to encourage parents to get out of their cars and turn their engines off and to allow their children to walk and cycle [to school], the better it will be for everybody.”

Bemoaning the attitude of some motorists, County Cllr Howarth said that he had once had to facilitate a grant to a school’s ‘walking bus’ so that body cameras could be bought, because “car drivers are even so impatient they are not prepared to let children in high-vis jackets…actually cross the road”.