TAKE ACTION
So you want to solve your school run? What next? This page has solutions for everyone whether you're a family wanting safer walking or cycling, or a parent wanting to ditch your daily car trip for a school bus. ​​
"I want to start using a cargo bike"
Wind in your hair, fresh air, pedalling past traffic - what could be more fun? With young kids safely tucked in, cargo bikes are perfect for school runs that are a little too long to be walked.
What? Cargo bikes carry between 1-4 children and are often electric, making hills and the extra weight a breeze for parents. They come in a variety of models; three wheeler trikes where up to four children can sit in the front, two wheeler long tails where children sit at the back, or two wheelers with children at the front.
When? Cargo bikes are great for slightly longer journeys, particularly those over a mile which primary aged children would struggle to cycle themselves. With the increase in school streets (1,000 in the UK so far!), bike lanes and healthy neighbourhoods, cycling to school just got a whole lot safer.
How to get started?
"I want a school street"
School streets prioritise the majority of families arriving at school on foot or by bike by closing the road the school is on during drop off and pick up.
What? School streets transform the streets around a school, enabling families to chat and say hello & goodbye to children without the danger of speeding cars or pollution from traffic jams. There are now over 900 of them in the country - they are the future! They can be enforced with bollards, barriers or camera enforcement (which is government advice).
When? School streets are good for every school. 75% of primary pupils in London travel sustainably and so school streets are prioritising their health and safety on these journeys. We have successfully campaigned for one of the biggest school streets in London which closes 2km of road network, protecting almost a thousand pupils. If you'd like to find out more, get in touch with us at hello@solvetheschoolrun.org
How to get started?
"I want to start a bike bus or a walking line"
Group cycling or walking, en masse to a single primary school or collection of schools - a joyous and community-minded way to start the day. It's fun and numbers give people confidence.
What?
Bike and walking buses have the potential to be parent-free school run travel, akin to to a school bus, where organisers collect children on their route, and walk or cycle them to school. However, in the UK at the moment these are usually run or set up by parent groups and require other parents to come too. Their goal is to provide a safe and supported environment for other families to try cycling/walking.
When?
Bike buses are particularly great for primary schools with wider catchments where you have high percentages of children living 1-2 miles away. Walking lines are great for distances under 1 mile from schools, or from nearby stations and bus stops. We see huge potential in this form of collective travel. We hope that all the fantastic bike buses popping up everywhere eventually develop into a formalised system for school travel. Imagine a world where every school had a "drop off, parent-free " bike bus. Where government funded travel stewards picked up kids from stops on the way to school and they all cycled together to school. This would relieve pressure on parents who need to get to work, time back for parents & reducing car trips?
How to get started?
"I want to promote walking and cycling in my school."
Behaviour change schemes Travel for Life and Modeshift stars encourages pupils to walk, cycle or ride the average school run (0.6 miles).
What?
Schools sign up to become bronze, silver or gold accredited schools, by taking part in different activities that promote pupil active travel, helping schools create a culture that celebrates an active journey to school. Some councils use the accreditation as a marker, to see how engaged a school is, when deciding whether to implement a school street or other traffic reduction method.
When?
Behaviour change is an important part of the journey in getting families to shift to sustainable travel. The travel habits that children develop in their primary years often set the tone for who they will travel throughout their life. These behaviour change programs are therefore important for all schools. Importantly, these programs and activities enable parents to volunteer and find like minded parents in the school. In our experience, in supporting our school to achieve their TFL gold star, we developed a group of over 65 families passionate about walking and cycling, who then all joined and volunteered in our campaign for a school street.
How to get started?
"I want zebra crossings, 20mph speed limits, parking controls."
Even with a school street in place, families need to actually reach it safely.
What? Zebra crossings prioritise pedestrians and enable families to get to their school in a safe way. A 20mph speed limit reduces serious or fatal incidents that involve children by 50%. An enforced controlled parking zone means that double yellow lines and corners are kept clear to children can see the road and navigate it more safely.
When?
Every school should be safely accessible. Zebra crossings, 20 miles per hour speed limits and controlled parking zones all make the roads much safer for children to travel through. The safer the streets are for kids, the earlier they can start to walk to and from school on their own, giving parents some time back in their day. It's win win.
How to get started?
"I want a cycle lane, or a healthy neighbourhood."
Cycle lanes mean families can cycle in their own space protected from moving cars. Healthy neighbourhoods provide areas with reduced traffic levels to help families walk and cycle.
What?
A cycle lane should be segregated from the traffic to keep cyclists away from fast moving cars. This gives parents and children the space they need to cycle safely without constant risk. Healthy neighbourhoods limit, or discourage through traffic on residential roads, again with the goal to enable families to have the freedom to walk or cycle in safety.
When?
Safe cycling is good for all school runs, but cycling is a particularly good alternative to driving for longer runs with young children. Walking 1-2 miles with a 4 yera old can take a while.... perhaps that's one of the reasons why in London, 65% of school run journeys in this distance range are driven. But for young children to be able to cycle safely, they need segregated bike lanes, or low traffic zones that mean they are not risking their lives to make these journeys.
How to get started?
"I want a school minibus"
Primary school age kids can ride the school bus in America, why can’t they here? Age appropriate schools buses are needed at schools with wide catchment areas such as independent schools or faith schools where pupils travel from further afield.
What?
School buses have undergone a transformation. Today, schools run services that include chaperoned staff for primary age children, that have flexible day-to-day bookings so plans can change and playdates can be brought home after school. That notify parents on their child's location, all managed via an app.
When?
Journeys for young children of more than 1.5 miles are more challenging for parents to walk or cycle and fit in around work. In London 65% of primary school journeys between 1-2 miles are driven. Schools with wider catchment areas will have enough demand for school minibuses and one mini-bus can take approximately 8 cars off the road. Local authorities only provide school bus services if a child lives has to travel 2 miles to their nearest eligible school. However schools such as independent schools or faith schools which have high number of pupils are travelling in from further afield, can run these themselves.
How to get started?
"I want better public transport"
Well connected public transport can enable not only a quick journey to school, but a convenient onward journey to work for parents.
How does it work?
In London, public transport includes buses, trains and the underground. Travel for young children on buses is free though it is not free for the parents travelling with them. It is also free for secondary age pupils. Outside London, bus fares for teenagers are not typically free and in many constituencies MPs report school attendance rates being impacted by families not able to afford the bus fares.
When?
Public transport is great when existing routes are helpful for longer school journeys. Incredibly frustrating when they are not! Additionally, existing public transport is not always family-friendly, with limited buggy space meaning you may have to wait for several buses to come along at peak time. Train and tube stations are often not step-free, so for parents with children in buggies, this is heavy hauling twice a day. Campaigning for change when it comes to public transport can be a mammoth task. However some ambitious groups have got stuck in.
​
How to get started?
"I want to car-pool with nearby families..."
Connecting with other families to share the school run can save parents a huge amount of time and reduce car trips.
What?
Parent apps and other school-run services can help parents connect together to arrange journey sharing. They put families local to each other in touch so they work together to get their kids to school. Alternatively use your own school contacts to see if anyone local wants to share. It doesn't have to be everyday, but a few journeys shared each week means a few less cars on the road whilst giving parents back time in their day.
When?
Families will only tend to put the effort in to organise car pools up when there is enough time or money to be saved from doing so. That usually means for primary age kids when the school journey is over 1.5/2 miles. Journey sharing programs are therefore best suited for schools with larger catchments. They can be effective, though in our experience they require a significant level of regular promotion from the school community to generate enough parent interest for them to find convenient matches to journey share.
How to get started?