Fewer London pupils travel by car

More pupils are walking to school, Transport for London found

More pupils in London are walking, cycling or using public transport to get to school, a report says.

Figures collected by Transport for London from 1,200 schools in 32 of the 33 London boroughs show an average reduction in car journeys of 6.4%.

Transport for London (TfL) said such a reduction amounted to 3.3 million annual car journeys or nearly 12 million fewer car kilometres a year.

The figures were released at the start of Walk to School Month.

The TfL figures also showed 71% of schools in the capital had a school travel plan, which aims to reduce localised congestion and make the area around schools safer.

David Rowe, from TfL's Smarter Travel Unit said: "Cutting the number of cars doing the school run helps to cut local pollution and congestion as well as working more exercise into many children's routines.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "We have all experienced the congestion, safety, and pollution problems associated with the school run, so it should be applauded that there is now increasingly successful work going on - with TfL working in partnership with schools and local communities - to tackle the issue.

"More than 70% of London's schools now have travel plans, bearing down on unnecessary car journeys and getting people switched on to more environment-friendly ways of travel.

"We expect them all to have a travel plan in place during 2009 – a year earlier than the rest of the country."

Have you started walking your children to school instead of using the car? Send us your comments.