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Walking to school: the benefits
Walking to school has a lot of benefits for children, their caregivers and the environment. It also means less traffic congestion around the school gate.
For children, it’s all positive. By walking to school, they:
- arrive at school invigorated and ready to learn
- have fun with friends
- learn how to cross roads safely and develop independence
- get physical exercise and fresh air
- learn good habits for the future
- help reduce air pollution.
Kids say they like walking to school because:
‘It’s fun and you get fresh air’
‘You can run, you don’t have to stay still’
‘You can see interesting stuff. Once I saw a cat and it was jumping on a letterbox looking really weird!’
‘If you go in the car you are all stuffy and tired but if you walk you get fresh air and you feel energized’
‘You can usually find things on the path’
‘When we go through the bush sometimes we’re not really on the track and it’s an adventure’
‘It’s fun cos you can walk with your friends and you don’t have to wait till the next day to tell them something’
‘I usually get bored in the car’
‘You can think about what you are going to do today’
‘It’s actually relaxing, you wouldn’t think so but it is’
For caregivers, encouraging children to walk to school and walking with them means they:
- save money on petrol
- avoid adding to traffic congestion at the school gate
- help reduce air pollution
- get physical exercise and fresh air
- become more involved in the local community and meet their children’s friends
- can teach their children road safety skills.
Parents say they like their kids walking to school because:
‘It’s good for him to walk to school, uses some energy’
‘The kids enjoy it – it’s so good for them’
‘It’s the simple thing – we did it when we were kids’
‘It’s better for the environment and the wallet’
‘It’s an opportunity to learn road rules on the way’
‘My kids like walking in the rain – they wear their coats, wellies and we take umbrellas’
‘We do a little bit of maths on the way, looking at the letterboxes’
‘They tell you stuff’
‘By walking with my son, I’ve gotten to know more of his friends and their parents’
‘It’s an extra bit of exercise each day’
International research shows children who walk or cycle to school are more likely to have healthier lifestyles than those who rely on cars.
Increased car use
New results from the most recent Ministry of Transport household travel survey show that the proportion of primary school children walking to school has dropped from 42 percent in 1990 to 27 percent now, while the proportion being driven to school has jumped from 31 percent to 52 percent. At some schools nearly 90 percent of students are driven.
This all adds to traffic congestion and extra vehicle costs. Short car trips between home and school consume a lot of energy in terms of fuel and emit tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air we breathe. Carbon dioxide is a major contributor to global warming.
Did you know?
The amount of CO2 avoided by walking instead of taking the car is approximately 200 g per kilometre, (1 tonne of CO2 can be avoided for every 4500 km walked).
What’s more, extra traffic activity at the school gate makes for an unsafe environment.
Walking to school is an easy way for caregivers to introduce exercise into a child’s daily routine. Many local councils work with schools to identify ways to encourage children to walk to school in a safe, friendly environment.
A number of initiatives are outlined in these pages. If you are interested in encouraging children to walk to school, talk to a road safety coordinator at your local council or a travel behaviour change facilitator at your nearest Land Transport New Zealand regional office.
Page created: 1 May 2007