A new report, The Declining Rate of Walking and Cycling to School in Perth, commissioned by the Department of Transport has highlighted a decline in children walking and riding to school and sparked a call to action to encourage more kids to engage in active transport.
The report was undertaken by the Department at the request of the Transport Minister.
The national rate of active travel to school has dropped from 75 per cent to 25 per cent over the past 40 years, while in Perth the rate of students riding or walking to school is at 20 per cent.
The annual economic cost of car travel to school in the Perth metropolitan area is estimated at over $186 million.
More than 18 per cent of morning peak car trips, and around 250,000 weekday car trips and 1.06 million vehicle kilometres are associated with trips to and from school.
According to the report, factors contributing to the decline in active travel to school include:
- poor pedestrian and shared path accessibility;
- traffic around schools;
- safety and parent/carer perceptions;
- distance between home and school;
- increased car affordability; and
- parent/carer time constraints.
Work is already underway to reverse the trend and encourage more students to walk, ride or scoot to school.
This year the Your Move Program has engaged over 170 schools in over 750 activities to encourage walking and riding to school with 48 schools snapping up $125,000 of Connecting Schools grants within 24 hours.
In direct response to the popularity of Connecting Schools Grants, the McGowan Government will increase funding to $200,000 from next year to encourage more schools to get involved.
The McGowan Government has allocated a record $265 million to cycling and walking infrastructure works around WA with major projects including the new Causeway Bridge, Mitchell Freeway Extension Principal Shared Path and completion of the Fremantle Principal Shared Path.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“I have taken a keen interest in trying to drive changes to get more kids walking and riding to school.”
“This new report has some concerning figures with the steep drop in children choosing to walk and ride to school – but it’s also helping highlight the issue and provide us the opportunity to find a solution.
“Our Your Move Program, run through the Department of Transport, has held over 750 activities this year with 170 schools.
“Within 24 hours, 48 schools had snapped up $125,000 worth of grants to be redeemed on activities and upgrades to transport infrastructure.
“In direct response to this, from next year we have doubled the amount of funding available to $200,000 to encourage more schools and students to get involved.
“We have also invested a record $265 million over the next four years to upgrade cycling and walking infrastructure around WA, helping to fill gaps in the network and increase connectivity.
“We are also looking at our planning system to see how we can better plan walking and riding connections in our new suburbs.
“We all have a part to play in encouraging our kids to be more active.”
