Pupils urged to walk to school (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Campaign launched by Hampshire County Council
3:10pm Wednesday 14th November 2012 in Local By Helen Morton
SCHOOL pupils are being encouraged to walk to school as part of a new campaign.
Hampshire County Council has teamed up with national charity Living Streets for the Walk to School campaign, which will see specialists from the charity work with primary and secondary schools in Hampshire over the next three years to encourage them to revisit and update their school travel plans.
Measures from the charity include the WoW – Walk Once A Week campaign for primary schools – and Free your Feet or Campaign in a Box interventions for secondary schools.
A number of schools will also get intensive support to identify and tackle barriers to walking, as well as to promote walking to school and its benefits.
Councillor Mel Kendal, the county council’s deputy leader and executive member for environment and transport, said: “Over half of primary children do not walk to school regularly.
“Although this is unavoidable in some cases, being driven to school every day can mean that children miss out on learning valuable lessons about road safety and how to keep themselves safe.”
Living Streets chief executive Tony Armstrong said: “We help 1.9 million children a year walk to school by tackling the barriers to walking and we’re delighted to be working with the county council to help deliver the benefits in Hampshire.”
Comments(6)
robertspet8
says...
5:28pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Are your children more likely to be mugged than involved in a car accident? The statistics show that a car accident is far more likely.
Are your children more likely to be knocked over or mugged in later life if they have not had a chance to become street wise? Yes they are.
Are your children more likely to have a shorter and less healthy life if they do not get enough exercise? Yes they are.
Are your children likely to be less socially adept if they are deprived of the interaction with their peers when walking to school? Yes they are.
Can your children learn strategies which will keep them safe from traffic and muggers while walking to school? Yes they can.
Lou2812
says...
5:29pm Wed 14 Nov 12
W Wallace
says...
10:50am Thu 15 Nov 12
Not all children are of the game playing generation, Rugby, Football and athletics clubs prove that of my children Are they wrapped in cotton wool not at all but thank you for your insight.
robertspet8
says...
3:57pm Fri 16 Nov 12
You have children of school age.
You are worried that they will be robbed walking home from school. But oddly you do not appear to be worried about them being robbed on the way to school.
You can drive and have access to a vehicle.
Your children have friends.
You have time to pick your children up from school.
You read an article full of positive reasons to walk to and from school and you offered one reason, based on an irrational fear, to use a vehicle instead.
From your second comment I can see you do not like criticism and you use sarcasm and insults as substitutes for reasoned arguments - not uncommon in these comment pages.
W Wallace
says...
9:06am Mon 19 Nov 12
W Wallace says...
3:31pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Great idea but all you need to do is read the gazette about kids getting robbed on the way home. And these are the stories the gazette hears about what about the crimes that are not reported.