Solve the School Run is a parent-led charity creating safer streets, car-free school zones, and child-friendly communities. Join us for safer journeys. Less road danger. More childhood. We're Solve the School Run. Everyday parents who want our children to be able to get to school safely. We don’t mind whether they’re walking, scooting, cycling or skateboarding, we just want the journey to be simple, safe and stress-free. But right now, the danger on the streets around our schools make that feel impossible. We are a parent-led charity on a mission to change that. We bring communities together to reshape their journeys to school—introducing safer crossings, child-friendly school streets, cargo bikes and vibrant community spaces. Because childhood should be about friends, fun, and freedom. Not traffic, danger, and stress. Join on WhatsApp Connect with others Sign up to our newsletter Safer school journeys straight to your inbox Join by email Explore our resources View all resources Questions Why are oversized SUVs a lethal threat to our kids Questions How to talk about school traffic with other parents without the drama Solutions School Street Hub Tools How to run your Streets for Kids event Tools School Mobilisers Hub: All the resources you need to get your school community behind a safer school run. View all resources Latest news View all news Turning political pledges into Streets for Kids. Want to save £4k during the fuel crisis? Get a cargo bike like TV's Dr Chris Mum shares story of her 12 year old daughter’s hit and run as research shows entire primary school injured every year during school run Private schools driving a 47% increase in toxic air pollution and extensive bus delays View all news

Create the change All the tools and guides to mobilise your school community and engage your politicians. School Mobilisers Hub: All the resources you need to get your school community behind a safer school run. Campaigning Hub: Getting political commitment for safer, child-friendly streets. London Borough Groups Hub: Let's build safer, healthier streets together London Data Hub: exploring capital trends and local school insights. StartUp Guide: How to get your school community mobilised behind safer, child-friendly streets. How to run your Streets for Kids event Campaigning Guide: How to get the political commitment to change your school run Hackney families - Help us build, safer, healthier streets for kids Lambeth families - Help us build safer, healthier streets for kids London key findings London primary school travel dashboard

Explore our solutions hub and our parent campaigning guides and tools to create safer, child-friendly streets. Your most common questions answered, top tips and support. Join us for safer, healthier school runs Questions Our expanding hub of answers to your most common questions. Why are oversized SUVs a lethal threat to our kids How to talk about school traffic with other parents without the drama View all questions View all questions View all solutions Solutions hub Find out all about the proven solutions to improve your school run School Street Hub Cargo Bike Hub Downsizing SUVs Hub View all solutions View all tools Create the change All the tools and guides to mobilse your school community and get campaigning School Mobilisers Hub: All the resources you need to get your school community behind a safer school run. Campaigning Hub: Getting political commitment for safer, child-friendly streets. London Borough Groups Hub: Let's build safer, healthier streets together London Data Hub: exploring capital trends and local school insights. StartUp Guide: How to get your school community mobilised behind safer, child-friendly streets. How to run your Streets for Kids event Campaigning Guide: How to get the political commitment to change your school run Hackney families - Help us build, safer, healthier streets for kids View all tools Solve news View all news Campaign updates, new research and and inspiring stories from our community. Turning political pledges into Streets for Kids. Want to save £4k during the fuel crisis? Get a cargo bike like TV's Dr Chris Mum shares story of her 12 year old daughter’s hit and run as research shows entire primary school injured every year during school run Private schools driving a 47% increase in toxic air pollution and extensive bus delays View all news Resources Dive into our resources and latest news, from key questions to campaigning guides.

Resources / Tools London key findings

Resources / Tools London Data Hub: exploring capital trends and local school insights. How many kids are walking to school? How many are being driven? At what distances do families find it harder to cycle or walk to school? All these questions are really useful for families and councils trying to make changes around their school gates but this type of data is surprisingly difficult to find. So, we completed a project to model what this looks like for every London primary school - and we think the outputs are pretty helpful. Explore the interactive dashboard, check out the key findings or take a look at how you can use the data for your area to strengthen your case for healthy streets for kids.

Resources / Tools Hackney families - Help us build, safer, healthier streets for kids Is your Hackney school run dangerous and polluted? We think your family deserves better. Our Hackney group of parents and school organisers are working to make the borough’s streets safer, healthier, and happier for our children. Here's what's happening — and how you can join us. Our Vision We want the Hackney school run to be safer and healthier for our kids. We want to encourage more families to ditch the car and walk, cycle or jump on a scooter. Our Streets for Kids manifesto for Hackney is simple: 👉 A car-free, enforced school street for every eligible school by 2030 👉 More travel by family cargo bikes: 👉Child-friendly kerbsides . Check out our manifesto in full at the bottom of this page. Today's school run Hackney Key Stats 👉 The context... Low car ownership - only 35% of Hackney households have a car Limited space for kids - Hackney is the third most densely populated borough in London. Approximately 75% of residents do not have access to a private garden, so the streets are often children's only nearby outdoor space. 🚸 The school journey... Walking & cycling to schools - the majority of Hackney children - an estimated 73% of primary pupils and 90% of secondary pupils - walk, cycle or take public transport to school. Driving to schools - whilst families driving to school is the minority, an estimated 27% of primary pupils and 10% of secondary pupils are driven. ❗The issues Injury - at least 12 children a year are injured on their way to and from school each year, with many more injuries going unreported. Asthma - 6-8% of children in Hackney are diagnosed with asthma Childhood obesity - 25% of Hackney children in year 6 are classified as "obese" partly due to lack of exercise. 👉 Hackney children deserve better So is Hackney council making progress? In the May 2026 elections Hackney went Green, overturning many years of Labour domination. Of the 57 ward seats in Hackney, the Greens won 42, and they also won the Mayoral election with Zoe Garbett ousting Labour’s Caroline Woodley to become Mayor of Hackney. Councils control 95% of London’s streets, so there is a lot they can do to fix the school run. Here ’s the current state of play in the borough. School Streets ● Hackney has 46% of schools covered with a school street, the 4th highest in London. ● Hackney has 46 School Streets covering 49 schools. ● This means there are still plenty of schools without a School Street e.g. Mossbourne Community Academy ● Some of these are substantial school streets, cited by campaigners as ambitious and significant. However, many are not big enough and don’t reduce driving or traffic around the school. ● And many are not permanently enforced. 21 out of 49 school streets have permanent ANPR, but 28 (57%) are enforced by just two mobile units. For comparison, Lewisham has nearly 100% ANPR, Lambeth has 40 of 49 school streets with ANPR (82%), Southwark has 28 out of 30 with ANPR (93%). According to our parent network in Hackney, these issues mean many schools don’t have an effective school street. They are too small and as over half are unenforced at any one time, driving parents know they will not be fined, and the school street is ignored. What we want: Where school streets are small, they should be enlarged and made more substantial, covering streets affected by school traffic, in addition to those with school entrances. There should be 100% ANPR enforcement at schools without permanent cameras. We would like to see all school streets enforced by ANPR cameras or bollards. We understand Hackney has LTNs that will potentially create a network of safe journeys to school, alongside school streets. However, we know even school streets in LTNs can still have traffic problems. We think these will be helped if the school streets are enforced and substantial, making it harder for cars to reach, enabling children to arrive and leave safely. The opportunity: Hackney Greens promised in their manifesto: Make school crossings a top priority, starting with the seven primary schools that currently have no safe crossings, and will create traffic-free School Streets for all eligible primary and secondary schools, as well as introducing them at colleges. (link Hackney Green Manifesto https://www.hackneygreens.org.uk/manifesto#chapter5 ) We hope this promise is implemented as soon as possible. Cargo bike funding Cargo bikes are increasing in popularity in Hackney, enabled by the safer walking and cycling routes that have been created. However, we need to overcome key barriers to help them grow and reduce family car use.... What we want: A real strategy for secure cargo bike storage. Parents need the confidence that their bike will be there when they get back. We also need an expansion of the "OurBike" community rental scheme and more "Try Before You Bike" subsidies, such as that from Peddle My Wheels or Carry Me Bikes. We also want more protected cycle lanes in Hackney. Hackney only has 5% of its road lengths covered by such cycle lanes, which compares poorly to other inner London boroughs such as Camden (9.7%), Newham (9.3%) and Tower Hamlets (6.7%) The opportunity: Funding for cycle storage is available for councils from Transport for London, so there is money available to implement a borough-wide secure cargo-bike storage approach. Several other London boroughs are also looking at secure cargo bike storage, which Hackney could collaborate with. For subsidies, these can also be funded through initiatives like the Mayor’s Air Quality Grant. A child friendly kerbside Hackney needs a kerbside strategy, much like Lambeth’s award winning strategy here . Hackney Greens in 2026 have promised to: “Design and implement a Kerbside and Parking Strategy to bring new life to kerbside spaces for safer crossings, greater accessibility, public seating, climate resilience and increased urban biodiversity.” We need that new strategy to be written and implemented, fast. What we want: Faster progress on reducing cars parked on the kerbside and creating more crossings and safer sightlines. We also want to see the implementation of fairer parking tariffs. Large SUVs that take up more valuable public space and create more road danger, should cost more to park. 25% of kerbside dedicated to child-friendly measures. These measures should be implemented in areas of parking and single yellow lines, rather than where there is currently no parking The opportunity: Using higher parking tariffs to discourage "carspreading" (the rise of unnecessarily large vehicles) will help boost council revenue, which can be ring-fenced to fund more kerbside improvements like zebra crossings, trees and rain gardens. The green party committed to both a child-friendly kerbside and fairer parking tariffs in their manifesto. So stay tuned… The challenge Funding is they key challenge. However, Hackney has a strong track record of ambition and delivery with TFL funding so there is plenty of potential if the political commitment is there. The borough also has a big drop off on the number of children at primary school age. This means that schools have empty places and parents have more choice of schools for their children. From a transport perspective, this could lead to more school runs being driven , since the propensity for parents to drive their kids to primary school increases the further they have to travel. So this is another big reason why family cargo bikes are such an important part of the sustainable transport picture for Hackney. Get involved! There are so many exciting opportunities for change and we need your voice to make it happen! Here’s how you can help: 👉J oin our Hackney WhatsApp: Jump into the Hackney Solve WhatsApp to share your ideas, stay up to date on progress, take an action or join a termly call. 👉 Join your school group Whatsapp: Are you in a school-specific Solve WhatsApp group asking for a school street or safer crossing? If not, why not start one? 👉Follow us: Check out the Hackney Solve Instagram. Send us your photos and stories! 👉 Question? Email us at solvehackney@gmail.com Let's work together to make the school run better for Hackney families. Sources Appendix - Our full "Streets for Kids" manifesto All eligible schools to have an effective car-free school streets by 2030: School streets are closures to the roads around schools to traffic at drop-off and pick-up times. This opens the space to children to walk and cycle safely. To work effectively, these need to be enforced by bollards or ANPR cameras. They also need to be a sufficient size, for example covering 2 or 3 streets around the school, to make sure that the traffic isn’t just displaced to another school gate or key entry route. We want all primary and secondary schools to have a school street. Increased funding for family cargo bikes by 2030. Family use of cargo bikes cuts the number of cars on the school run, making it safer and healthier for everyone. We want it to be much easier to hire or own and store a family cargo bike. That means secure storage and subsidies for families. Child-friendly kerbsides: Densely parked cars block sightlines, making it dangerous for children to cross the roads. Large cars, such as SUVs, make it even worse. We want fewer parked cars, fewer SUVs, safer crossings, improved sightlines as well as greening measures such as trees, parklets and rain gardens for drainage (SUDs) . Check out the manifesto in detail here .

Resources / Tools Lambeth families - Help us build safer, healthier streets for kids Is your Lambeth school run dangerous and polluted? We think your family deserves better. Our Lambeth group of parents and school organisers are working to make the borough’s streets safer, healthier, and happier for our children. Here's what's happening — and how you can join us. Our Vision We want the Lambeth school run to be safer and healthier for our kids. We want to encourage more families to ditch the car and walk, cycle or jump on a scooter. Our Streets for Kids manifesto for Lambeth is simple: 👉 A car-free, enforced school street for every eligible school by 2030 👉 More travel by family cargo bikes: 👉Child-friendly kerbsides . Check out our manifesto in full at the bottom of this page. Today's school run Lambeth Key Stats 👉The context... Low car ownership - only 40% of Lambeth households have a car. Limited space for kids - Lambeth is the fourth most densely populated borough in London. Over half of residents live in flats without gardens, so the street is often children's only outdoor space. 🚸The school journey... Walking & cycling to schools - the majority of Lambeth children - an estimated 72% of primary pupils and 90% of secondary pupils - walk, cycle or take public transport to school. That's around 17,000 Lambeth children. Driving to schools - whilst families driving to school is the minority - an estimated 28% of primary pupils and 10% of secondary pupils are driven. ❗The issues Congestion and pollution - school run traffic creates congestion, delaying bus times by 50% and increasing air pollution by 50% compared to school holidays. Injury - at least 16 children per year are injured on their way to and from school each year, with many more injuries going un-reported. Asthma - 8% of children diagnosed with asthma, higher than the national average (pre-ULEZ). Childhood obesity - 25% of 10 and 11-year-olds live with obesity, higher than the national average. 👉Lambeth children deserve better. So is Lambeth council making progress? Lambeth Council is now led by the Green Party, with support from the Liberal Democrats. They took over in May 2026 from 20 years of Labour. Councils control 95% of London’s streets, so there is a lot they can do to fix the school run. Here ’s the current state of play in the borough. School streets Lambeth ranks sixth in London, with 46% of schools having a school street. They are almost all enforced by ANPR cameras, nearly always cover all gates to the school and they are getting bigger in size each year. So they are working well, but…they aren't finished. What we want: We need school streets for the remaining 10 eligible primary schools by March 2027. We also need them for our secondary schools, where kids are navigating roads independently. The opportunity: Funding is available for councils to implement school street programs from Transport for London. Additionally, funding for the 10 remaining primary school streets was already secured from TFL by the previous Labour administration. Plus enforcement cameras pay for themselves within two years. The green party included these school street commitments in their 2026 manifesto.. so we hope to see signs on the roads very soon. Cargo bike funding Cargo bikes are increasing in popularity in the borough, enabled by the safer walking and cycling routes that have been created. However, we need to overcome key barriers to help them grow and reduce family car use.... What we want: A real strategy for secure cargo bike storage. Parents need the confidence that their bike will be there when they get back. We also need an expansion of the "OurBike" community rental scheme and more "Try Before You Bike" subsidies. The opportunity: Funding for cycle storage is available for councils from Transport for London, so there is money available to implement a borough-wide secure approach. Several other London boroughs are also looking at secure cargo bike storage, who Lambeth could collaborate with. For subsidies, these can also be funded through initiatives like the Mayor’s Air Quality Grant. The green party committed to “reducing existing barriers to family cargo bike use” in their 2026 manifesto, so there is a brilliant window of opportunity to get cars off the road and enable family cargo bike use to take off in Lambeth. A child-friendly kerbside Lambeth’s 2023 Kerbside Strategy aims to switch 25% of kerbside space from cars to sustainable use by 2030. Currently, we’re only at 10%. What we want: Faster progress on reducing cars parked on the kerbside and creating more crossings and safer sightlines. We also want to see the implementation of fairer parking tariffs. Large SUVs that take up more valuable public space and create more road danger, should cost more to park. The opportunity: Using higher parking tariffs to discourage "carspreading" (the rise of unnecessarily large vehicles) will help boost council revenue, which can be ring-fenced to fund more kerbside improvements like zebra crossings, trees and rain gardens. The green party committed to both a child-friendly kerbside and fairer parking tariffs in their manifesto. So stay tuned… The challenges A general overall challenge for this Lambeth administration and our families campaigning in the borough is that there is no overall party control, so it may be more difficult to get decisions approved. Additionally, with TFL funding (the long term implementation plan process) there are many other boroughs competing for the money. However, Lambeth has a strong track record of ambition and delivery with TFL funding, so there is plenty of potential if the political commitment is there. The borough also has a big drop off on the number of children at primary school age. This means that schools have empty places and parents have more choice of schools for their children. From a transport perspective, this could lead to more school runs being driven , since the propensity for parents to drive their kids to primary school increases the further they have to travel. So this is another big reason why family cargo bikes are such an important part of the sustainable transport picture for Lambeth. Get involved! There are so many exciting opportunities for change and we need your voice to make it happen! Here’s how you can help: 👉J oin our Lambeth WhatsApp: Jump into the Lambeth Solve WhatsApp to share your ideas, stay up to date on progress, take an action or join a termly call. 👉 Join your school group Whatsapp: Are you in a school-specific Solve WhatsApp group asking for a school street or safer crossing? If not, why not start one? 👉 Follow us: Check out the Lambeth Solve Instagram. Send us your photos and stories! 👉 Question? Email us at solvelambeth@gmail.com Let's work together to make the school run better for Lambeth families. Appendix - Our full "Streets for Kids" manifesto All eligible schools to have an effective car-free school streets by 2030: School streets are closures to the roads around schools to traffic at drop-off and pick-up times. This opens the space to children to walk and cycle safely. To work effectively, these need to be enforced by bollards or ANPR cameras. They also need to be a sufficient size, for example covering 2 or 3 streets around the school, to make sure that the traffic isn’t just displaced to another school gate or key entry route. We want all primary and secondary schools to have a school street. Increased funding for family cargo bikes by 2030. Family use of cargo bikes cuts the number of cars on the school run, making it safer and healthier for everyone. We want it to be much easier to hire or own and store a family cargo bike. That means secure storage and subsidies for families. Child-friendly kerbsides: Densely parked cars block sightlines, making it dangerous for children to cross the roads. Large cars, such as SUVs, make it even worse. We want fewer parked cars, fewer SUVs, safer crossings, improved sightlines as well as greening measures such as trees, parklets and rain gardens for drainage (SUDs) . Check out the manifesto in detail here .

Stressful school run? It’s not your parenting—it’s our streets. Discover evidence-based solutions like car-free school streets and cargo bikes that bring freedom and safety back to your community. The Solutions The school run, solved We know exactly what makes a school run safe and joyful—and the good news? Today, many of the solutions are already out there. The challenge is that local authorities are often moving too slowly in adopting them. While they wait, our children are missing out on the freedom and independence they deserve. We aren't just waiting for change—we’re building it. By working together, we can speed things up and reclaim our roads for our kids. Here are some of the proven solutions that can make children’s journeys safer, cleaner, and happier School Streets Imagine a school gate free from traffic. By restricting drivers in the streets around a school during drop-off and pick-up, a child-friendly school street creates a safe space for children to walk, scoot, or cycle. It’s a proven, simple way to cut pollution and stress and there are already over 1,000 of them around the country. Find out more Zebra crossings Zebra crossings give children a safe, prioritised places to cross the road where drivers can easily see them. It’s important to have them near schools, so families can get there safely. We are also seeing a new kind of zebra being implemented, a ‘side-road zebra’. This new invention gives pedestrians right of way over drivers turning into junctions. Cheaper to implement than standards zebras, they are a cost effective way to ensure children can navigate their neighbourhood independently, without having to wait endlessly for gaps in traffic to safely cross. 20mph zones Speed changes everything. Lowering limits to 20mph significantly reduces the risk of injury and gives children a much better chance of survival if they are hit by a driver. Reducing traffic speeds makes our streets safer for everyone. Controlled parking zones Pavements cluttered with parked vehicles hide children from view. And how can children cross the road, when they can’t even see past lines of parked cars? Managing parking spaces to create better sightlines is vital and often the most overlooked part of road safety. By reducing the number of vehicles parked near school gates, we lower the risk of collisions and injury to our children. Protected bike lanes Safe, segregated bike lanes give children the freedom to cycle and parents the confidence to leave the car at home. When we separate bikes from drivers, we make journeys faster, healthier, and - crucially - safer. Older children can use them unaccompanied, freeing up parents from unnecessary trips. Segregated bike lanes equal childhood freedom AND parent freedom. Win win. Extra win? There are no traffic jams in a bike lane. Cargo Bikes Cargo bikes are often seen as a nice-to-have, but for parents who have them, they soon become essential. They carry children on the front or the back, while the parent controls the bike - they can seat up to 4 kids and bags! In a cargo bike you can dodge traffic jams, cruise through parks, or glide along a bike lane. Most of them are electric, which makes hills a breeze. It’s the cleaner, faster way to travel and kids love them. Find out more Downsizing SUVs Over the last 20 years SUVs have been getting bigger in size and greater in number (carspreading). These huge cars are a huge risk to children running, scooting and playing around schools. Smaller cars that pose less risk to children in the public realm, take up less space and less fuel are a key component of a healthier streetscape. However, since SUVs make higher profit margins it is now difficult for families to actually buy smaller cars as there are so few on the market. The government needs to step in, to introduce sensible policies like bonnet height limits to protect kids, and to disincentive SUVs in favour of smaller, safer, sensible cars. Find out more We’re supporting parent communities across London create safer, healthier streets around their schools. Join us in creating change! Get involved

Child-friendly streets bring children freedom. Traffic and road danger have ruined the school run, but we’re fighting for a safer, healthier way for every family. The Problem Cars have ruined the school run Our children’s spaces were never meant to be dominated by traffic. Yet over the last 50 years, cars have systematically taken over our streets. And so children have had to retreat inside, into homes, onto screens, into cars. Today in England, 43% of primary school children are driven to school. For the families who still walk, wheel, or cycle, the daily journey is marred by traffic, air pollution, and constant road danger. Family life wasn’t supposed to mean stressed parents driving their children everywhere or kids inhaling fumes on their way to class. Children didn't lose their independence because parenting changed; they lost it because our streets changed. And here are the issues that’s created for families Road danger Rush hour traffic, school run traffic, oversized vehicles, and a lack of safe crossings turn simple morning walks into a daily game of risk. When school gates are surrounded by moving cars and blocked kerbsides, walking, scooting or cycling feels unsafe. 443 London children injured on the school run every year, 80% of whom are walking or cycling to school. Source: Solve research 21% Of all London children's road injuries happen on the school run, despite it being just 7% of their day. source: Solve research 72 The number of children in London killed or who suffer life-changing injuries each year, on their way to/from school. source: Solve research Air pollution Concentrated vehicle fumes right outside the school gates build up toxic air quality exactly where children gather. Idling engines and heavy traffic force young lungs to breathe in harmful emissions on their daily journey. Playgrounds are as polluted as the main roads they are situated on until lunch break. 5x London children travelling to primary schools are five times more exposed to air pollution than at any other time of day. Source: Kings college london 47% The spike in N02 pollution on the school run during term time, compared to school holidays. Source: solve resarch 5% The reduction in lung capacity that children growing up exposed to heavy traffic pollution suffer permanently. Source: queen mary university Congestion The school run creates a unique rush-hour bottleneck as hundreds of short car trips flood neighbourhood streets in a tight time frame. Bumper-to-bumper gridlock stalls whole communities and delays public buses. It’s the difference between term-time traffic and the empty roads of the school holidays. 50% The percent of journeys in London between 8-9am that are education-related. Source: transport for london 1 in 4 Cars in London during rush hour are on the school run. Source: transport for london 50% Increase in bus times in school term time vs holidays due to school run congestion impact. Source: solve research Lack of exercise Car-dominated school journeys lock children out of essential daily physical activity, replacing fresh air and active movement with sedentary rides in back seats. Replacing walking with driving deprives kids of healthy habits that protect their long term physical and mental well-being 52% Of children in England don’t get the recommended daily amount of 60 minutes or more of exercise. Source: sport england 43% Of primary school children in England are driven to school. Source: national travel survey 24% Children who walk to activities are more energetic than those who are driven; they burn 24% more calories at those activities. Source: science direct Children's lack of independence Streets designed around cars restrict children’s freedom to navigate their own neighbourhoods safely. Instead of learning to travel independently, kids become reliant on adult transport just to cross their local streets. 80% vs 9% The percentage of 7 to 8 year old children allowed to walk home from school independently in 1971 vs 1990. Source: one false move study 1 year Today, British children are only allowed to play outside unsupervised at age 11, one whole year later than their parent's generation. Source: university of exeter Family stress Navigating high levels of traffic, hunting for drop-off spots, and managing chaotic kerbsides turns the morning routine into a high-stress ordeal for parents. What should be a calm start to the day becomes a tense, stressful rush-hour battle. 3x Parents find the school run 3x more stressful than a work meeting. Source: clean cities 53% Over half of all parents who drive the school run wish someone else could do it for them. Source: education business Climate change Cars fuel more than just stress; they drive our climate crisis. Transport is the UK’s top domestic carbon emitter. Over half of all school runs - most under a mile - are driven. Swapping the car for a walk or cycle not only reduces greenhouse gases, it builds a healthier future for our kids. 21% Pupil commuting generates 21% of school’s carbon footprint in England—making the school run the single largest source of school emissions. Source: keep britain tidy 40% Pupil commutes, staff travel, and school trips make up 40% of total school's carbon emissions - outweighing heating and electricity combined (27%). Source: keep britain tidy 240,000 School run journeys put a quarter of a million cars onto London roads twice a day, every weekday. Source: solve research

Resources / Tools How to run your Streets for Kids event Create a ripple of change You want a safer, healthier walk to school? You’re not alone. Thousands of parents across London are working together to create safer streets outside schools. A 'Streets for Kids' event is your chance to spotlight the issues on your school run. Or to celebrate some fantastic new changes that your council has implemented to make it better. It shows decision-makers that families are united in their demand for change. What are these events? Whether it’s a 'Zebra Rally', a 'Bike Bus', or a 'Show & Tell', these events are powerful, community-led moments of action. Often, councillors and school staff don't see the daily dangers we face. This is your moment to show them. And politicians rarely get thanked for improvements they’ve made - they’d greatly appreciate the chance to see what it means to your community. Why we run them These events are part of an exciting wider movement across London and Europe, run by our partners Clean Cities . Held annually in May and September, they bring parents, children, and local leaders together at the school gate to demonstrate undeniable public demand for safer, healthier streets. They serve as a critical bridge between grassroots campaigning and political action, proving to local councillors and decision-makers that families are united in their call for infrastructure and policy improvements that will transform children's journeys. How to run them Arranging an event is straightforward. It requires your key allies, a bit of organisation, and the enthusiasm of your school community. You don’t need to be an expert to start—you just need to bring people together, choose a format that works for your school, and commit to the process. If you are based in London and it’s your first event, we are here to support you. Before you start, if you haven't already, make sure you register as a School Mobilisers so we can set you up for success. Step by step guide 1. Pick your format Choose the style that works best for your school: 👉Show and Tell: Invite families to show staff and politicians the good, the bad, and the dangerous spots on your school route. [Very straightforward to run]. 👉Zebra Rally: Dress up in our zebra onesies near an unsafe crossing. It’s perfect for photos. [Very straight forward to run]. 👉Bike Bus: Organise a group cycle to school. [A bit more time consuming]. 👉Walking Bus: A supervised group walk to school. [A bit more time consuming]. 2. Engage your school staff Chat with your headteacher about what you’re planning and invite them. Building a good relationship with staff is incredibly helpful. If the school is engaged with the TFL Travel for Life program, then public awareness raising events like these are a key element, so let them know it can count towards that program. 3. Pick your date Pick a date that works best for your key allies, your local councillors & school staff. Friday mornings are often best for school communities. They are typically convenient for parents who work from home and often align with the school week's end, allowing for a bit of a celebratory atmosphere. 4. Make a logistics plan Map out the flow of the event to ensure success: 👉Timing: Clearly define arrival times for parents, councillors, and school staff. 👉 Location: Identify the best spots for the activity and for capturing photos. 👉 Route: If doing a Show and Tell or Zebra rally, decide which sections of the route highlight the key issues you want to address. Or which areas show the really great changes that your council has implemented. Make sure it’s safe. If you are running a Bike Bus or a Walking Line, there's is a bit more to it. Check out Streets for Kids Event types guide here (coming soon). 5. Advertise your event Use your school WhatsApp groups and newsletters. Here is an example template. Are you concerned about traffic and road safety at the school gate? You’re not alone. We’re hosting a Streets for Kids event to show our local leaders some of the danger spots on the roads around the school. This is a quick before school event that all are welcome to, so please join us! 👉What: [e.g., Bike Bus / Show & Tell / Walking Bus] 👉When: [Date] at [Time] 👉 Where: Meeting at [Location/Start point] 👉 Why: To demonstrate to local councillors the urgent need for safer infrastructure. The more families who show up, the stronger our message becomes. Want to help or stay updated? Join our WhatsApp group here: [Link] 6. Register your event This is critical! Ensure your event is registered on the Clean Cities campaign website . It really helps us get your efforts counted by funders and politicians. 7. Invite local ward councillors Invite local ward councillors to see the reality of the school run first-hand. It is also worth reaching out to relevant cabinet lead for transport. This is the ultimate decision maker for the infrastructure changes you want, so it is good to engage them with your asks. Councillor email addresses - go to your council webpage to find your ward and email address. Email template - use our email template here to invite them. 8. Get your visuals aids ready Banners, posters, and signs make a huge impact. Download templates from our website, but also encourage the kids to get creative and make their own! These are super important for photos - which you can use in social media and press to really amplify your event and your voices! Templates - download easy to print Streets for Kids and Solve signs here . 9. Send your reminders A quick nudge on WhatsApp groups and in the school newsletter a few days before makes all the difference for turnout. 10. Complete your event and celebrate! You’ve taken a brilliant step! Celebrate your community's effort. Don't forget to take photos, engage with attendees, and get across the highs and lows of your school runs. 11. And finally…keep the pressure on Engage: Email your councillors with a summary of the event and your specific requests. Share: Post photos on social media and send them to your local SOLVE group. Use campaign hashtags #streetsforkids and tag your politicians. Advocate: Use our press release template to share your story with local media (coming soon) A Streets for Kids event is an exciting mobilising moment in your community campaign. For information on what else we recommend to successfully get political commitment head over to our How to campaign to change your school run guide.

Resources / Tools Campaigning Guide: How to get the political commitment to change your school run Community campaigning is simple, impactful, and doesn’t require a lot of time. You don’t have to be an expert—you just need a bit of consistent effort and some people around you who care. We’re here to support you with guides, shortcuts, and one-to-one help. Successful campaigning is about two things: showing the public demand for change and engaging your local political leaders to secure commitment. This guide is for established school mobilisers. If you’re just starting, head to our School Mobilisers page. Step 1: Mobilise your community Elected officials respond to public demand. If there is one parent asking for a school street, that’s one thing, if the whole community of school parents in their ward want it, that’s essential for re-election. It’s that simple. Not to mention, the more engaged parents around you, the more people to help with getting stuff done! That’s why getting your school community behind the solutions is really important. Mobilise your school community: Head over to our School Mobilisers Hub here for top tips on how to get started and maintain momentum at your school. Step 2: Define your goal What is the change that your group is campaigning for? We recommend a mix of infrastructure and behaviour change. 👉Infrastructure change: Physical street improvements (like a zebra crossing or school street) that make the environment safer. Aim for this as your main goal. 👉Behaviour change: Educational resources and promotional activities (like assembly talks or ‘no parking’ signage) to encourage walking and cycling. Use these to build momentum. Ask other SOLVE groups on WhatsApp (join here ) to see what’s working well. And remember, not everyone has to agree, be welcoming and inclusive—change takes time, and people often adapt along the journey. Also See How to decide your group’s campaigning goals (coming soon) Step 3: Engage your politicians Your ward councillors are your most important stakeholders so building respectful relationships with them is really important. Meet them: Invite them to an event or attend their weekly ward surgery. State your ask: Be clear about the issues (e.g. road danger) and your solution (e.g. a school street). Connect: Understand their motivations and passions. Support their progress or their party’s progress on safer streets, while holding them accountable. Go higher: If you need infrastructure, the cabinet lead for transport is also key. Ask your councillor to raise a question in full council or attend a ‘deputation’ yourselves. Use social media: Public visibility matters. Use social media and the press respectfully to highlight your campaign. Also See How to decide your group’s campaigning goals (coming soon) How to run a SOLVE Instagram account (coming soon) Step 4: Run a Streets for Kids event - show the public demand. The most important step! Held in May and September, these simple events at the school gates engage both your community AND councillors. They are a critical bridge between grassroots campaigning and political action. You can use them to highlight change needed, celebrate positive improvements that have already happened, or simply celebrate families walking and cycling. You ’ll be joining lots of SOLVE school groups across London in showing just how many parents want better streets. We have everything you need to get started—and if you’re in London, we’ll even help at your first event. Run your event - head over to our Streets for Kids Event guide here to get started. Step 5: Support behaviour change at your school Use plug-and-play programmes like TFL’s Travel for Life or ModeShift Stars to promote walking and cycling to school. These frameworks provide a structure for small, regular wins that encourage active travel and help to change behaviour. It’s also a great way to keep an ongoing conversation with the school staff and your local councillors going about your group and goals. Find a supportive staff member to sign the school up. Changing behaviour - head over to our school behaviour change guide here (coming soon) Step 5: Celebrate and evaluate You're doing great! — don’t forget to celebrate your wins with your community and evaluate what’s working as you go. Step 6: In it to win it Infrastructure change takes time (our school street took a five year effort...) but we promise you won't regret it. Don't be disheartened by slow moving councils - remember that every community event, positive newsletter update, or drop off chat is slowly turning the tide. So hang in there!

Resources / Tools Campaigning Hub: Getting political commitment for safer, child-friendly streets. You know our streets could be safer for your kids. You've found loads of parents in your school or borough who want change. But how do you actually make it happen? Whether your community group is pushing for a zebra crossing, a school street, or a child-friendly kerbside, our guides take you through every step, so you can turn your vision into a reality—and give our kids the freedom they deserve.