Award-winning walking bus gathers pace

The number of ‘Walking bus stops’ in Medway will increase to 36 when an additional 14 are installed later this month.

The permanent ‘bus stops’ will be marked by new signs, installed by Medway’s road safety team, to mark the pick-up stops on the successful walking bus scheme which has been running for 10 years.

Until now, each walking bus route has a start and finish point and various ‘stops’ along the way which are only known to participants. The new stop signs will help more children as young as four-years-old get to and from their school or nursery.

One school to come on board and sponsor their own stop is St Andrews School in Rochester. Joan Jabbour, the school principal, said: “These new walking bus stop signs give us the opportunity to celebrate our long standing three walking bus routes.

“These vibrant signs will be seen throughout the local community, and it is hoped they will encourage other families throughout Medway to travel to school in such a healthy and fun way.”

Local organisations are invited to sponsor a stop and support the walking bus, which aims to reduce congestion, improve air quality and the road safety skills of children travelling to and from their school or after school club.

For more information contact James Sutton, Medway’s safer journeys officer, on 01634 331399.