§ 21. Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of children travelling to school by car in (a) 1979 and (b) 1995. [4025]
§ Mr. BowisIt is estimated that, on average, some 2 million children aged five to 15 travelled to school by car during the period 1993–95. Figures are not available for 1979.
§ Mr. BennettDo we not have a vicious circle? The more parents take their children to school by car, the more danger there is from traffic around school gates, which pushes more people into the same process. What is the Minister going to do to reverse that process, and to try to ensure that our streets are safer so that more children can walk to school?
§ Mr. BowisThe hon. Gentleman is right. We believe that more children could walk to school if the routes to school were made safe. To that end, we are working with organisations such as Sustrans and local authorities to ensure that routes are safe—by means of, for instance, lighting, signing and design—and that children are taught how to walk safely to school. If we do that, and encourage schemes such as the 20 mph zones that are being introduced around some school gates, we can increase the number of children—53 per cent.—who still walk to school.