New research highlights some of the impressive economic benefits of the programme we’ve delivered to more than 500 schools in Northern Ireland since 2013.
During Bike Week, we’re renewing our call for Safe Routes to Schools and School Streets to boost those benefits by increasing the numbers cycling to school which remain at just 1% according to the latest figures from the Department for Infrastructure.
The Active School Travel programme is an initiative for schools who wish to see more of their pupils choosing an active and healthy journey to school. It’s funded by the Public Health Agency and the Department for Infrastructure.
Get more children walking, cycling and scooting to school
The fundamental aim of the programme is to provide schools with the skills and knowledge to get more children, walking, cycling and scooting as their main mode of transport to school.
The success of the programme is clear with a decade of year-on-year positive results, demonstrating an uptake in the number of pupils choosing active travel modes to get to and from school while simultaneously seeing a drop in the numbers being driven to school at participating schools.
At the end of the 2022-23 school year, the number of children travelling actively to participating schools increased from 30% to 42%. At the same time, the number of pupils being driven to school fell from 60% to 47%. After one year in the programme, the number of children completing physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day increased from 29% to 46%.
Economic benefits study results
A study by our Research and Monitoring Unit underlines how those switching from driving to walking, scooting or cycling on the school run can make considerable savings.
It’s found that the overall cost benefit over the course of a year, of the mode shift resulting from engaging with the Active School Travel programme, was just under £560,000.