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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. Sign up to our newsletter Safer school journeys straight to your inbox Join by email Join on WhatsApp Connect with others Explore our resources View all resources Questions Why are 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

Solve News Check out the latest news, behind the scenes updates and inspiring stories from our parent communities changing their streets. 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

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 become a School Mobiliser How to run your Streets for Kids event How to campaign to change your school run Lambeth families - Help us build safer, healthier streets for kids

Resources / Solve News Private schools driving a 47% increase in toxic air pollution and extensive bus delays Jan 15, 2025 PRESS RELEASE State school pupils would have to walk to school at 5am to enjoy air as clean as during the private school holidays. Bus journeys take over 50% longer during school term time. Call for more support for school buses and family cargo-bikes. Private schools are driving a near 50% increase in pollution and traffic, despite serving a minority of pupils, according to new data produced by parent campaigners, ‘Solve the School Run’. (1) Analysis of official air pollution and bus journey data from south London shows a major increase in congestion and air pollution with the start of the private school term. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), a damaging air pollutant which comes from burning car fuel, goes up by 16% when state schools are in term, but that surges to 47% when private schools then also returned. This represents a 27% increase in air pollution linked to the private school termtime compared to when state schools were already in session (2). Long term exposure to NO2 is associated with serious health conditions including asthma, COPD and cancer while short-term exposure can cause inflammation of the airways and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and allergens. (3) The research focussed on Herne Hill and Dulwich in South London, but similar experiences have been reported in other areas of London and in Oxford. (4) The data was compiled by analysing the Mayor’s Breathe London air pollution data from October 2023 to August 2024, looking at when private and state schools are on holiday, and then during term time, as well as examining bus journey times from Transport for London. The data shows state school pupils in this area are exposed to considerably lower air pollution when walking to school during the private school holidays. Indeed, during private school term times, state school pupils would have to walk to school at 5am to enjoy air as clean as during the private school holidays. The charity Solve the School Run are calling for: Staffed walking lines and ‘bike buses’ to cater for working parents. Investment in school buses for primary pupils from private schools. School streets which have timed closures around school drop off and pick up times. More cycle paths and storage facilities to support parents using cargo bikes. Across the capital, nearly a quarter of pupils in London (24%) are driven to primary school every weekday, causing a major spike in congestion and air pollution. This equates to an extra 240,000 car trips on the roads during each of the morning and afternoon rush hours. (5) Nicola Pastore, a data analytics consultant and co-founder of Solve the School Run said “The data is clear - we are all affected by the school run, whether we are bus passengers, dog-walkers or families on our way to school. Solve The School Run wants to see better data on these journeys, much safer travel routes to schools for walking and cycling and parent-free travel options like staffed bike buses and school buses.” The Walking and Cycling Commissioner for London, Will Norman said: “We know that the majority of children walk or cycle to school, and the Mayor and I are doing everything we can to encourage more Londoners to choose active and sustainable transport for shorter journeys. TfL has quadrupled the number of cycleways since 2016, and we’re working continually to make intimidating roads and junctions safer. “There are also now over 500 School Streets across London, as well as more than 100 Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes, which also make it safer and easier for families to get around their local area on foot and by bike. We’re calling on families in London to consider walking, cycling or using public transport for the school run, not just for environmental but for safety and health benefits, to build a better, fairer and greener London for all”. “Most days my kids and I cycle the two miles to their independent school. Otherwise we take the train and then walk/scoot the 10 minute journey from the station. Much of the bike ride is joyful thanks to closed roads and school streets. But it’s a different story near the school, where there is no bike lane and heavy traffic. Walking along the same main road from the station is also unpleasant. I want safe options for all families, so they can leave the car at home. If we can reduce the school run traffic, the air around the school will be cleaner and the roads safer for everyone,” says Kate Hampson, a South London parent and member of Solve The School Run. A wider issue The South London situation has been reported in other areas in the capital, as well as in Oxford. Parents and residents complain of similar trends in Hampstead, Wandsworth and Richmond, which all have similar concentrations of schools, particularly private schools. Research from Cllr Emily Kerr in Oxford found that up to 50% of congestion during the school run was caused by the city’s private schools. (4) Cllr Emily Kerr said: "We see a clear trend in Oxford where private schools make up about 30% of pupils but a significantly higher percentage of school run traffic within the city. Many pupils at private schools live further away than those at state schools, so these journeys can be harder for families to walk and cycle. One solution would be for private schools to invest in mini-buses for all age-groups. These would provide a cost-effective and convenient alternative to driving for parents. We are delighted to see some schools in Oxford starting to do this, and we hope that private schools in other areas of the country where there are the same school run traffic issues follow suit." "Congestion and air pollution soars when the private schools go back to school, making the school run (however you do it) unpleasant and dangerous. In fact, it's so awful, we set up our own charity to help try and combat it," says Francesca Agostini, Green School Runs and mother of two, who lives in Hampstead. “It’s really interesting to see higher levels of air pollution correlating so closely with term time. We know that road transport is an important cause of both nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. We’re really pleased to see communities using their local data from Breathe London to shed light on causes of pollution in their neighbourhood and campaigning to reduce it,” says Professor Ben Barratt, Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London. Update 19.01.2025 - the third paragraph was updated to include the impact of private school traffic relative to a base of the state schools already in session. Added "This represents a 27% increase in air pollution linked to the private school termtime compared to when state schools were already in session." ENDS More info hello@solvetheschoolrun.org The independent sector educates around 5.9% of the total number of school children in the UK Research - ISC . In the wards surrounding Herne Hill junction including Brixton & Dulwich wards it is 30%. Data analysis and methods available at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HQMXPayZ4mHHNW5Kg7MGLfuS4H4MaAkV/view?usp=sharing For NO2 , the change associated with the return of the private schools, as compared to when only state schools were in session is 1.47/1.16 = 1.27 or +27%. Emissions of air pollutants in the UK – Nitrogen oxides (NOx) - GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk ) Oxford private schools 'a major cause of congestion' | Oxford Mail Thread by @EmilyKerr36 on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App Quarter of pupils driven to primary school in capital, analysis reveals ( solvetheschoolrun.org ) Notes to Editors Solve The School Run is a charity whose members are parents with children at private and state schools, primary and secondary schools. Fed up with the chaos, congestion, road danger and air pollution children have to face on the school run each day, we focus on data that highlights the issues and informs the solutions. We think all families should be able to have safe, convenient and sustainable options for getting children to school. Context on traffic congestion The air pollution and bus time analysis can be better understood with this context on congestion: “traffic delays are non-linear, which means that when traffic rises to certain levels it becomes unstable. Add just a few too many cars at the wrong time and fast-moving traffic suddenly slows to a crawl; take just a few cars off of the road at the right time and traffic speeds and throughput can both increase dramatically. If we can find a way to keep some cars from crowding onto already congested roads at certain times and places, many more people will get through the system overall, and at higher speeds to boot.” The Access Almanac , University of California. In this context, we note in our analysis that private schools return to school when state schools have already returned, and therefore there is already a higher level of base traffic taking roads closer to capacity. We have not been able to model the return first of private schools and then state schools to see if the impact is the same, as in practice it never happens that private schools are in term time while state schools are on holiday. It is, however, clear that school run traffic in and of itself can have a marked impact on local congestion levels. -ENDS-

Resources / Solve News 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 Nov 20 2025 (Photo credit - Becky Mursell) PRESS RELEASE The parent of a twelve year old girl from Kennington, South London has told the story of how her daughter was nearly killed by a hit and run driver, but no action was taken by the police. Farhia Mohammed , a mother from South London, has for the first time publicly shared the harrowing story of her 12 year old daughter’s hit and run in January last year. Aaishah, now 14, was walking home her younger sister, then aged 8, from school and turned around to go to football practice on Black Prince Road in Kennington. “We live on the Ethelred estate so cars shouldn’t be driving that fast outside our home. A grey car came speeding around the corner and drove right into her. She was thrown to the ground sideways and hit her face on the bonnet as she fell. She was bleeding from the mouth with broken teeth but the driver just drove off. To this day she has been traumatised, as we all are, and still has a loss of sensation in her knee nearly two years later. “There was blood everywhere. She looked so scared. The surgery was traumatic and my daughter was off school for several weeks, falling behind in class. She had to have emergency dental surgery and now has a prosthetic tooth. She had 24 stitches in her gum and 22 in her chin. We have to do something to make our roads safer for our children. It made me so scared to let my daughters out again.” “The police didn’t come on the night the incident happened. They only came after a couple of days but there was no further action against the driver. She claimed the child was fine but she lost her front teeth and a tooth went inside her gum. I was left so angry about how little was done to punish the woman who did this and to prevent this from happening again." She is retelling the event for the first time as new research shows thousands of children were injured on the roads of London - many as they walk to and from school. Parents have been holding vigils calling for safer streets across the capital, with protests in Lambeth, Lewisham, and Twickenham in recent days and further planned in Camden and Hackney. Solve the School Run and Clean Cities are calling for all councillors in London to commit to a ‘Safer Streets for Kids’ manifesto including closures of streets around schools at drop off and pick up time, as well as measures to discourage driving and dangerous SUVs. (1) The research by Solve the School Run (2) shows on average 443 children are injured on their way to and from London schools each year - equivalent to the number of children in a large primary school. 16% of these - 72 children - are seriously or fatally injured on the London school run (1 fatal injury, 71 serious injuries). Examples of ‘serious’ injury are fracture, internal injury, severe cuts, crushing, burns (excluding friction burns), concussion, severe general shock requiring hospital treatment, detention in hospital as an in-patient. In total, 6,181 children suffered injuries on the road across London - 1,006 were killed or seriously injured - in the past three years. 1,328 were during the school run. Katy Heald has also shared the story of how her four year old son, Ben was nearly crushed under an SUV when riding on his bike. “We were at a traffic light crossing outside our local station. The traffic was nose to tail, as it often is at the end of the school day, and an SUV had stopped just over the stop line. When the green man came on my 4 year old, Ben, went forwards on his balance bike while I followed with my toddler in the buggy. The traffic beyond the crossing shifted forward and the driver of the SUV - rather than observe the red light and green man, or even check the crossing was clear - moved with it. “I screamed but by the time she realised what she'd done she had driven over the front wheel of Ben’s bike. The wheel and front fork of his bike were crushed, which tells you how close the wheel was to his leg. The driver had no idea that he was even there until his bike was under her car as the bonnet was so high, and we saw no evidence of the automatic braking or collision avoidance systems that car manufacturers talk about. “Ben was distraught and so was the driver, who had her own kids in the back of the car. We need safer streets all the time, but particularly during the school run, when thousands of children are walking and cycling on the streets at the same time as thousands of cars are on the roads." Solve the School Run together with Clean Cities are calling on all councils to sign up to their Safer Streets for Kids manifesto ahead of next year’s election. It includes calls to implement school streets which restrict car traffic at pick up and drop off times and action to discourage SUVs with higher parking charges, which are far more dangerous for children (3). London councils are being urged (1) to commit to the following in the London local elections next year to make London streets safer for kids: An effective school street for every school - a school street is when the road by a school is closed to traffic during the hours of school drop off and pick up, keeping children safe. Access to a cargo bike for every family - this could be through subsidies, secure bike parking options or bike share schemes. Cargo bikes are (typically) e-bikes and carry children within them. Reallocate kerb space in a child-friendly way - more double yellow lines and crossing points to improve sightlines, so children can see and be seen, along with parking tariffs to discourage SUVs and carspreading. According to analysis of Transport for London road collision data by parent campaigners Solve The School Run, the trip to school is one of the most dangerous journeys many children make. (2) Despite it only being 7% of a child’s waking day over a year, it accounts for 21% of all road injuries to children. The data analysis focused on 8-8.59am and 3.15-4.14pm during London school term time. The research covers official accident information in the past three years (2022 - 2024). (2) London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said: “Every death and injury on London’s roads is a tragedy, and especially when it involves a child. The Mayor, TfL and London Boroughs are committed to eliminating deaths and serious injuries on the roads. We are investing heavily to reduce road danger and to make it easier and safer for children to walk, cycle and scoot to school. London now has over 800 school streets, a cycle network of over 400km and we are transforming dangerous junctions and pedestrian crossings across the capital.” All injuries in the dataset have been recorded by the police - rather than a hospital - and evidence suggests that non-fatal injuries are considerably under-reported. In addition, research suggests that up to a fifth of casualties reported to the police are unrecorded by them, and that they often under-estimate the injury level due to the difficulty of distinguishing the severity of an injury at the scene of the accident. (4) “We wanted to shine a light on the very real danger that children face getting to school. As parents we see and feel it every school day. We wanted to turn that experience into numbers that councils can understand, to demonstrate the need for immediate action,” said Claire McDonald, co-founder of Solve The School Run. Children are disproportionately at risk if they walk or cycle to school. Children walking and cycling to school in London make up 57% of all school run journeys (5) whilst making up 78% of school run casualties (2). This demonstrates the need for councils to take much more action to protect children as they make their way to school, particularly given that almost all children will need to walk, for at least some of their journey. “Councils have the power to transform the journey to school for thousands of children. And many of them are already doing it, with school streets, bike lanes and increased parking tariffs on SUVs. But we want more,” said Claire McDonald . “We want councillors to pledge to save children's lives, give them back their independence and bring the joy of freedom into their lives. They can do this by committing to our pledge.” School run traffic makes up over 25% of morning rush hour traffic. Across the capital, nearly a quarter of pupils in London (24%) are driven to primary school every weekday, which equates to an extra 240,000 car trips on the roads during each of the morning and afternoon rush hours. (6) Notes to Editors Link to manifesto here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l0lhnjGS6ibVwT4IRr8BUCqQltuu422r/view?usp=sharing Analyses of casualties to children on the school run in London: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Csp7IBaFsxY5U8SPA96rH5F4_OzS8F1o/view?usp=sharing Do sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and light truck vehicles (LTVs) cause more severe injuries to pedestrians and cyclists than passenger cars in the case of a crash? A systematic review and meta-analysis | Injury Prevention https://content.tfl.gov.uk/collision-data-guide.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68a43995246cc964c53d299a/nts9908.ods https://www.solvetheschoolrun.org/key-findings A school street is typically a road (or roads) outside a school with a timed restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times. This will usually be for one to two hours during the start and end of the school day. School Streets provide additional space outside of the school to encourage active journeys and provide a safer, healthier and more pleasant environment for parents and children at drop off and pick up times. Streets for Kids campaign Streets for Kids is a Europe-wide movement led by Clean Cities, championing child-friendly mobility and car-free school streets. In just four years, this collaborative campaign has inspired 3,200 community events, mobilised over 380,000 people, and helped create 300 new car-free school streets. Through grassroots action and policy change, Streets for Kids is transforming urban spaces into safe, vibrant environments where children can walk, cycle, wheel, and play freely — building healthier, happier cities for the next generation. Solve The School Run is a parent-led charity that combines unique data insights with experience of real-world, parent-powered solutions. Fed up with the chaos, congestion, road danger and air pollution children have to face on the school run each day, they focus on data that highlights the issues and informs the solutions. They think all families should be able to have safe, convenient and sustainable options for getting children to school. The Streets for Kids campaign page can be found here . Clean Cities is Europe’s largest network of organisations on a mission to build public support for cities to shift from polluting cars to active, shared and electric mobility. Clean Cities is hosted by T&E .

Resources / Solve News Want to save £4k during the fuel crisis? Get a cargo bike like TV's Dr Chris Apr 23 2026 PRESS RELEASE - New research shows that transporting a family is £4,000 a year cheaper by electric family cargo bike than car. Broadcasters including Dr Chris Van Tulleken and Laura Jackson explain why every family should be able to use a cargo bike. As fuel prices surge, families in flats or without front gardens are ‘locked out’ of cheaper travel - with only two secure cargo bike parking spaces in London. New research shows that families can save thousands of pounds a year by ditching their car for an electric cargo bike - but many households, particularly those living in flats, cannot make the switch. As the war in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices, Solve The School Run and Clean Cities have calculated that using an e-cargo bike and public transport for family travel is £4,000 a year cheaper than using a second-hand family car and public transport. The analysis includes purchase price, depreciation, running costs, and additional transport costs. Since the beginning of March petrol prices have jumped 20 per cent, while the diesel spike has been even bigger, increasing by 36 per cent . Dr Chris Van Tulleken , the BAFTA-winning TV presenter and practicing doctor, has shared his story of making the switch and is a huge advocate of family cargo e-bikes. “We replaced our car with a cargo bike and have never looked back. It’s way cheaper and faster than a car, and our favourite way to get all three kids around London - they love it, and I love it. It’s great for our health, our happiness, our climate and our community.” E-cargo bikes are an increasingly popular option for those concerned about the cost of living. Clean Cities analysis of data from Transport for London shows that cargo bike journeys doubled between 2022 and 2024 and 2025 figures from the Bicycle Association show a 36% year on year increase in e-cargo bikes sales. However, sales in the UK are way behind other European countries , with just 4,000 sold in 2022, compared with 70,000 in France and 90,000 in Germany. The barriers include up front costs - an e-cargo bike can cost around £6,000 - and a safe place to store the bikes. With councillors due to be elected across the country on 7 May, the researchers have found that families are being “locked out” of thousands of pounds in potential savings because of a severe shortage of secure cargo bike parking. “We speak to hundreds of families every year who are keen to buy an e-cargo bike, but lack of secure storage stops them,” said Alper Muduroglu , CEO of Peddle My Wheels. “It means families in flats - who could benefit most from lower transport costs - are effectively locked out.” Even in London, which often has better bike storage facilities than other parts of the country, there are just two secure spaces in on-street cargo bike hangars, one for every 4,500,000 people in the capital. There are one million parking spaces for cars . With secure storage for just two cargo bikes in the whole of London, in a dedicated cargo bike hangar provided by Westminster City Council, families are unable to safely store their cargo bikes, which are too big for standard bike hangars. Electric cargo bikes are increasingly used by parents for transporting primary school-aged children distances that it would be hard for them to walk, and which often end up being driven. Research has found that half of all e-cargo bike journeys replace a car journey, cutting emissions and congestion. Laura Jackson, Broadcaster, Founder and Creative Director of Glasette said: “School runs in London rush hour used to be chaotic with three kids, until our Benno. Now we ride together on calmer routes, skipping traffic. E-cargo bikes could transform family travel, but only if boroughs back them with subsidies, secure parking, and cycle training". Nicola Pastore , co-founder of Solve The School Run, a grassroots network of parents concerned about the road danger and air pollution of the school run said: “In a cost-of-living crisis, we don’t think it’s fair that families are locked out of savings in this way. Families want a practical, affordable alternative to the car. Councils set aside kerbside space to park cars, why not do the same for a form of transport that is cleaner and cheaper?” Solve The School Run is calling on London boroughs to develop and implement strategies for secure on-street cargo bike parking, such as hangars, and introduce subsidies to make cargo bikes more accessible to families, as outlined in its Streets for Kids manifesto . They are also asking the Mayor for a London-wide strategy for family e-cargo bikes, similar to Transport for London’s freight-focused Cargo Bike Action Plan . Although e-cargo bikes are cheaper than cars to buy and run over time, the upfront cost can be a barrier. A family-sized e-cargo bike and accessories typically cost around £6,000 . Unlike cars, which are widely available through finance or leasing schemes, families often struggle to find the initial funds. Campaigners say council support schemes – such as discounted hire programmes like the one available in Richmond – could make e-cargo bikes far more accessible and transform everyday journeys for families. The Government’s target for 55% of children to walk or cycle to school by 2025 has been missed, and the latest National Travel Survey shows that more than one in five families are deterred from active travel by dangerous and congested roads. Dr Ian Philips, Associate Professor at the University of Leeds added: “Cargo bikes help people keep active, do activities with family that they might not otherwise have done and they replace car trips – showing great potential for health benefits and carbon savings. Add to this the financial and convenience benefits of these bikes and you have a very strong case for cargo bikes to become a more mainstream form of family travel - as they are in other European countries .” Caz Conneller, Clean Cities, former founder of Cyclechic and She's Electric said: “After 17 years working in the cycling industry, particularly in the family and lifestyle market, I’ve consistently seen cost as a barrier to e-cargo bike adoption. Many women say they would love to make the switch but simply can’t afford the upfront cost. If we are serious about reducing car-use, support and subsidies must be in place to help families make healthier, more sustainable choices, that will save them money in the long run.” Notes to Editors Total Costs of Ownership Cargo Bike vs Car Ownership The full analysis including methodology, analysis tables and limitations can be found here This analysis compares the cost for a family of using an electric cargo bike as their primary form of transport versus owning and using a car. It looks at the total cost of ownership over three years for a three-seater e-cargo bike (one adult and two children) compared with a five-seater car. As well as comparing like-for-like costs based on miles travelled, the analysis factors in additional transport costs the families would incur, informed by the National Travel Survey. Because the e-cargo bike used in the comparison carries one adult and two children, the analysis is most relevant for families with one or two children. An e-cargo bike is an electric-assisted bicycle designed with cargo areas (front or rear) to transport heavy loads, children, or passengers. This release uses the terms cargo bike and e-cargo bike interchangeably. Additionally, the terms cargo bike parking and cargo bike storage are interchangeable, and mean cargo bike hangars. Like normal bike hangars, these are weather-resistant, secure, insurable and lockable shelters that are specially designed for cargo bikes. Due to their size and shape, most cargo bikes cannot fit in a normal bike hangar, so need a dedicated style of hangar. This data was FOI’d for a report for the Electrify London Campaign by Clean Cities. The campaign promotes electric vehicles - from e-cargo bikes to electric vans - for climate, clean air and a healthier and more affordable London. Run up to the election Southwark Labour manifesto: “We will increase funding for cargo bikes, with more storage spaces and bike share schemes, to help families reduce the miles they drive.” Southwark Green manifesto: “Install new cycle lanes, cycle hangars and more cycle parking, including for cargo bikes and adapted cycles.” Hackney Labour manifesto: “We will look at ways to use our kerbsides more effectively, from parking for people with disabilities, managing dockless bike hires, cargo bikes”. Streets for Kids is a Europe-wide movement led by Clean Cities, championing child-friendly mobility and car-free school streets. In just four years, this collaborative campaign has inspired 3,200 community events, mobilised over 380,000 people, and helped create 300 new car-free school streets. Through grassroots action and policy change, Streets for Kids is transforming urban spaces into safe, vibrant environments where children can walk, cycle, wheel, and play freely — building healthier, happier cities for the next generation. Solve The School Run is a parent-led charity that combines unique data insights with experience of real-world, parent-powered solutions. Fed up with the chaos, congestion, road danger and air pollution children have to face on the school run each day, they focus on data that highlights the issues and informs the solutions. They think all families should be able to have safe, convenient and sustainable options for getting children to school. The Streets for Kids campaign page can be found here. Clean Cities is Europe’s largest network of organisations on a mission to build public support for cities to shift from polluting cars to active, shared and electric mobility. Clean Cities is hosted by T&E . -ENDS-

Resources / Solve News Turning political pledges into Streets for Kids. Jun 15 26 So, the election is over. We’ve all had a little lie down. Then there was half term. And now, finally, it’s time to get to grips with the new political landscape — which turns out to be a very different landscape. It’s an exciting time for local politics. Across the four London boroughs where we campaigned, there has been a complete change in leadership. Both Hackney and Lewisham have moved from Labour to Green control, with their Mayors following suit. Meanwhile, in Southwark and Lambeth, the loss of overall Labour control has led to new coalitions with the Liberal Democrats and Greens. This is a huge level of political change - and you could feel it during the election campaign itself. The run-up was fiercely competitive, with all the major parties keen to respond to the demands coming from you, our parent network, for safer streets for kids. The last few months were a whirlwind of activity. From zebra rallies to bike buses led by the one and only Coach Balto , we made our voices heard. Our Show & Tell events were a particular highlight—candidates found it very difficult to ignore road danger when being escorted by a 9 year old with a clipboard! So what's next? A fresh cohort of councillors is now finding their feet. As they learn the ropes of local governance, we have a unique window of opportunity. These new representatives need to be briefed on Streets for Kids. Friendly, persistent pressure from their own constituents is what turns policy pledges into signs on the streets and spades in the ground. We urge you to reach out to your local representatives, whether they are new to the role or returning. You can drop them an email or, better yet, visit them at a monthly surgery. Here is how to make an impact: Key Tips Congratulate them on their successful election. Explain the specific hazards near your school and your proposed fixes. Remind them of their party's manifesto commitments (all listed below!) Highlight any personal pledges they made during the campaign (all listed below!). Request tangible, timed actions. Ask them to check eligibility for school streets or invite them for a walk-through during the morning rush. Bring a campaign poster and snap a photo for Solve social media. Update your local Solve WhatsApp group with the results of your meeting. Always follow up in writing to confirm what was agreed. 👉 GRAB YOUR STREETS FOR KIDS POSTER HERE We have detailed the specific commitments made by our target boroughs below, along with a list of councillors who have already signed our pledge. If you need any help getting started, please reach out to us here . Join the conversation! Our parent networks in Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, and Hackney are growing fast. To stay in the loop and help drive change in these areas, join your Solve borough WhatsApp network here . Who made commitments? All the info you need right here! Here's what we asked the parties and candidates to commit to and a list of who committed to what. 1. An effective school street for every school. I support implementing school streets at both primary and secondary schools. These should be substantial and effectively enforced by bollards or cameras and so deliver the full benefits of a school street to children. 2. Cargo bike access for every family. Cargo bikes are often the quickest and most convenient way to transport young children for local trips, and have huge potential to reduce car trips to schools. When in power, I will support the direction of funds toward affordable purchase schemes, secure storage infrastructure and community hire programmes. 3. The reallocation of kerb space in child-friendly ways. Stationary vehicles (parked 96% of the time) dominate pavements and block sight lines. I support the creation of space on our kerb sides that make them more child-friendly, including clearer sight lines, more pedestrian crossings, parklets and active travel bays, plus fairer parking tariffs to discourage oversized SUVs. (You can find full details of our Streets for Kids manifesto here ) . LAMBETH Transport Cabinet Lead Ciara Alleyne (Green Party) Green Party Manifesto Commitments We will introduce school streets around every Lambeth school, with appropriate bollards and cameras, and ensure that all schools have a transport strategy for drop off and pick up. Reduce existing barriers to family cargo bike use through providing secure kerbside storage for these bikes and expanding appropriate subsidies. Work towards a child-friendly kerbside, prioritising play, green space, and safe crossings. Labour Party Manifesto Commitments Lambeth Labour did not make specific transport commitments in their manifesto, though they did commit to more cycle hangars and simple and fairer parking system. Councillor email addresses and surgery details. You can find all these on the Lambeth council website here . Councillors who pledged to implement Streets for Kids: Ward Name Party Lambeth Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction Alan Andrews Green Lambeth Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction Paul Valentine Green Lambeth Knights Hill Elizabeth Fraser Green Lambeth Knights Hill Lisa Schulkind Green Lambeth St Martin’s Jeremy Isaacs Green Lambeth Streatham Hill East Martin Abrams Green Lambeth West Dulwich Tom Palmer Green Lambeth Gipsy Hill Pete Elliot Green LEWISHAM Transport Cabinet Lead Corin Ashwell (Green Party) Green Party Manifesto Commitments We will expand School Streets, walking and cycling networks. And deliver infrastructure for electric vehicles and cargo bikes. Upgrade streets with safer crossings, drop kerbs for prams, wheelchairs and powered wheelchairs, and expand cycle parking. Labour Party Manifesto Commitments We will continue our School Streets program to support more children to walk, cycle and scoot to school. We will work with companies who offer cargo bike hire for both businesses and residents. Councillor email addresses and surgery details. You can find all these on the Lewisham council website here. Councillors who have pledged to implement Streets for Kids: Borough Ward/Role Name Party Lewisham Mayor, Crofton Park Liam Shrivastava Green Lewisham Transport Cabinet Lead, Sydenham Ward Corin Ashwell Green Lewisham Brockley Rotimi Skyers Green Lewisham Brockley Ade Adewunmi Green Lewisham Catford South Briony Edwards Green Lewisham Forest Hill Fergus Navaratnam-Blair Green Lewisham Forest Hill Annabelle Roberts Green Lewisham Hither Green Eleonora Aiello Green Lewisham Ladywell Robin McGhee Green Lewisham Lee Green Laura Sessions Green Lewisham New Cross Gate Ruth Persian Green Lewisham Perryvale Justin Calcutt Cheadle Green Lewisham Rushey Green Samantha Gardiner Green Lewisham Sydenham Corin Ashwell Green Lewisham Sydenham Markus Michelucci Green Lewisham Sydenham Tanya Dunne Green Lewisham Telegraph Hill Becky Sanders Green Lewisham Telegraph Hill Kate Anderson Green Lewisham Telegraph Hill Nick Torry Green HACKNEY Transport Cabinet Lead Jacob Cable (Green Party) Green Party Manifesto Commitments We will create traffic-free School Streets for all eligible primary and secondary schools, as well as introducing them at colleges. We will work to expand the network of e-cargo bike hire schemes across Hackney. We will 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. Introduce new car parking permit structures that reflect vehicle size, weight and emissions, to deter the use of SUVs and ensure people pay their fair share to improve the safety and accessibility of our roads. Labour Party Manifesto Commitments We will increase our school streets enforcement We will look for ways to use our kerbside more effectively, from parking for people with disabilities, managing dockless bike hires and cargo bikes. Councillor email addresses and surgery details. You can find all these on the Hackney council website here. Councillors who have pledged to implement Streets for Kids: Borough Cazenove Emma Neath Green Hackney Clissold George Sheldon Grün Green Hackney De Beauvoir Gemma Per-Bo Green Hackney Hackney Downs Alastair Binnie-Lubbock Green Hackney Hoxton East & Shoreditch Mihai Chereji Green Hackney Hoxton East & Shoreditch Janet Lee Green Hackney Hoxton West Nicholas Blincoe Green Hackney King’s Park Jasmine O’Connor Green Hackney Lea Bridge Bettina Maidment Green Hackney London Fields Kwame Otiende Green Hackney Stoke Newington Reiner Tegtmeyer Green SOUTHWARK Transport Cabinet Lead & Leader of the Council James McAsh (Green Party) Green Party Manifesto Commitments We will deliver a School Street for every eligible school and make children’s safety a priority. Install new cycle lanes, cycle hangars and more cycle parking, including for cargo bikes and adapted cycles. Labour Party Manifesto Commitments We will guarantee a School Street fore very eligible school by 2030. We will increase funding for cargo bikes with more storage spaces and bike share schemes, to help families reduce the miles they drive. We will continue to invest in new crossings and cycle hangars where our communities need them, while expanding walking and cycle routes. This will include making more of our kerbside child-friendly with safer crossings and other road improvements. Councillor email addresses and surgery details. You can find all these on the Southwark website here. Councillors who have pledged to implement Streets for Kids: There are no Southwark individual pledges, due to a lack of personal email addresses for the councillors before the election. -ENDS-

It's not our parenting, it's our streets that are causing these issues. Resources / Questions How to talk about school traffic with other parents without the drama Bringing up the chaos outside the school gate can feel like walking into a minefield. You don’t want to be that parent, but you also want safer, cleaner streets for your children. Here is how to have those conversations without putting anyone’s back up. Start with the like-minded Don’t try to change the world in one go. Start with the parents who are already on your wavelength. Once you think they’re up for it, get them on a WhatsApp group focusing on road danger around the school. Look for: 👉The cycle-commuters: Parents already cycling to school are natural allies. They know the streets and understand the issues. 👉Cargo bike families: They’ve already made the switch to cleaner travel. They are more vulnerable to poor driving and are probably very alert to the issue. 👉Climate-conscious parents: Probably already worried about air pollution, you can connect over your shared desire for a healthier environment for the kids. 👉Annoyed local residents: Often the school’s neighbours are frustrated by the traffic and danger that happens outside their house twice a day. If you can make friends with them, they can be helpful allies. Local councillors are more likely to take notice of residents as they are their constituents. Parents at the local school may live in another ward and therefore just visit the area (even if it is twice a day!). Once you have a few people onboard, you can broaden your reach. Also see - Check out our Conversation Openers page for more ideas (coming soon). Normalise your perspective We need to make safe, car-free travel the new normal. Small, consistent nudges help shift the culture at the school gate: 👉Stay focused: Keep the narrative on child safety - it’s tough for anyone to argue with that. Ask your school to include regular updates on local danger zones in their weekly newsletter. If there’s been a near miss or collision near school, make sure you report it to the school staff. We take other risks to children seriously, so why should road danger be different? 👉Amplify the positive: As well as highlighting the issues, it’s really important to amplify the positive. Take time to celebrate the families who are walking and cycling to school. A good way to do this is by highlighting schemes like 'Walk to School' week or similar in the school newsletter (more on this coming soon). Aim for one or two school newsletter updates a term celebrating the benefits of active travel, this helps to start to make walking and cycling feel like the default choice, not a chore. Keep it systemic, not personal This is the golden rule. Avoid finger-pointing at other parents. When you make it personal, walls go up. Instead, focus on the system. These are good ways of highlighting that; 👉Our streets are failing: It’s not about bad parenting; it’s about infrastructure that prioritises driver convenience over children’s safety. 👉Drivers are caught in a trap: If parents drive, it may be because they have to. Long work hours or hidden disabilities can mean they feel like they have little choice. We want systemic change that makes walking and cycling (and all the health benefits attached) possible for everyone. 👉No problem!: Rather than constantly focusing on the issues, make sure you also highlight the solutions. School streets reduce road danger and air pollution. Everyone wants that for their children - even parents that drive. When we focus on creating a system that works for everyone, we stop blaming each other and start building the streets our children deserve. Reducing the traffic around a school isn’t a tweak. It’s a seismic shift in culture and infrastructure. It takes time. But it is possible, and when it happens it’s amazing! Focus on the positives, and you’ll bring people with you. Tales from the school gate 👉"But I don’t think any of the other parents feel like I do" “That’s what we thought. But once we started running the occasional stall at the school’s Christmas Fair or Sports Day, with games or colouring in for the kids, and traffic chat for the parents, we discovered we weren’t alone. Many (most?) parents felt the same way, but didn’t know what to do about it. So we invited them to join the WhatsApp group. Some of them ignored the messages, but many of them read and ‘hearted’ them, others turned out to be really knowledgeable, and we even found some as obsessed as we were! We just needed to start the conversation.” -Claire, Lambeth 👉“I don’t want to be the school’s ‘active travel enthusiast’ and shunned in the playground” “I was really reluctant to become the school nag - sighing and eyerolling when parents drove past. I wanted to have fun, meet new friends, not go around judging everyone. Plus, shouldn’t I be wearing a tracksuit and a bike helmet permanently? And that just wasn’t my style. So I always kept an eye on that element of it. Yes, there were rainy meet ups outside the school with councillors, but there were also fun evenings at the pub, coffee at each other's houses, we kept it varied so different types of people would feel comfortable. The group really developed and it showed that we were having fun, so people wanted to be part of it.” -Tom, Lambeth 👉“There’s already an established pro car lobby at my kids’ school, and I don’t want to position myself against them” “We had the same. It’s not surprising. Cars are the norm, we’ve had decades being told they are the keys to independence, so when you start saying maybe that isn’t true, people get upset. I chose to sidestep any confrontation. We weren’t anti-car, we were just having fun on our weekly bike buses. They became really popular, and were publicised in the newsletters - alongside their health benefits - and the norm started to shift. We were modelling the alternative to driving and it looked like fun!” -Julie, Lambeth

Resources / Tools How to campaign 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: 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 2: Show the public demand for change 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 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 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 School Mobilisers Hub: All the resources you need to get your school community behind a safer school run. School Mobilisers start the change! They are everyday parents just like you who start to highlight the issues around the school and bring the school community together to think about change. They celebrate all the amazing walking, cycling and public transport that is happening. By sparking these local conversations, you’re playing a vital role in creating safer streets for kids. You’ll find helpful resources to get started and maintain momentum at your school below. Not signed up yet? Find out a bit more about what it involves here , and sign yourself up to be a School Mobiliser here , so we can support you. Already mobilised and ready to start engaging your politicians? Head over to our campaigning hub here .