Brake has confirmed that its 2014 Giant Walking Bus event will take place on Wednesday 11 June.
Brake says that on that day “tens of thousands of kids will be marching for road safety from their school gates”.
Brake says that the UK has a “poor record for protecting children on foot compared” to many of its European neighbours. The charity says that half of schoolchildren are driven to school which increases pollution and danger, and affects health.
The event is designed to help schools teach children about safe walking, while also promoting safe driving to parents and local communities “to protect children on foot”. The project also raises funds for Brake’s work to supporting families bereaved and injured in road crashes.
All schools that take part in the Giant Walking Bus receive a free resource pack to help them promote road safety and Brake also runs a scheme to recognise schools that go the extra mile to fundraise, educate and campaign.
Click here for more information or contact Brake by email or on 01484 550061.
On a visit to France in September I was interested to see that in some small towns there were signs for Walking Bus “stops” at the junctions of small streets, so it is clear that the idea is well established there.
Peter Jones, Woodbridge
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It’s an indictment of our transport system that in order to exercise their right to walk to school with any feeling of safety then children have to dress in fluorescent jackets and walk hand in hand as a “walking bus”.
We need to recognise that the primary thing we need to re-instate their right is that us adults need to change our motoring behaviour to accomodate children walking to school independently and without the need to dress up. And we need to do that so that they can do so every day rather than once a year.
Rod King, 20’s Plenty for Us
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Out of interest are there any studies or benefits of these events? My wife is a deputy of a Primary/Junior school, each year they are involved in these events for a day. They then revert on mass to what both staff and parents continue to do.
Keith
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