David Cameron - Please Make Our Walk to School Safer and Easier
Recently mother-of-three Catherine Orna-Harris and her 8-year-old twins were almost hit by an aggressive driver at the school gates. Catherine, from Essex, says: 'Walking to school is a lovely way to start the day, but the frustration of drivers makes it very stressful and the risks really worry me. More priority should be given to the walk to school, as situations like this can lead to real harm.'
Catherine's story is not uncommon. 36% of children say fear of speeding traffic puts them off walking to school. Traffic choked streets, speeding cars and inconsiderate parking create danger around the school gates for millions of families.
With one-in-three children now leaving primary school overweight it's a national scandal that fewer than half our children walk to school.
We urgently need action from government. National charity Living Streets is calling on David Cameron to make sustainable school travel a government priority and give guidance to local authorities on making walking routes to school easy and safe.
Please add your voice and sign our petition to David Cameron. And if Catherine's story sounds familiar please tell us about your experiences on the walk to school.
Living Streets will use your story to highlight the problems families face and will encourage the Prime Minister to make the changes needed.
Dear David Cameron,
Please make walking safer and easier for all.
It's a national scandal that only 47% of primary school children walk to school. With one in three children categorised as obese, it's time to make the walk to school safer and easier.
Government policy around school travel fails to support children walking to school. Barriers range from inconsiderate parking to speeding traffic, leading to congestion and danger around school gates.
Living Streets and its supporters are calling on David Cameron to make walking to school a ministerial priority and get government departments working together on sustainable school travel. The current disjointed approach is harming our children and creating traffic-choked towns and cities.
Support for walking to school should be part of a wider well resourced, long-term strategy to increase the number of people walking and improve the walking environment. Government needs to act now.
[Your comments here]
Show your commitment by developing a national walking strategy, and ensuring that every child that can walk to school is able to do so safely and easily.
Thank you,
[Your name here]
