School Streets Programme. Roads surrounding schools are closed to motor traffic at drop-off and pick-up times, enabling children to walk or cycle to school, reducing car trips and improving air quality. Rokesly Infant and Nursery School, Haringey, London N8. March 11, 2022. Photo: Eleanor Bentall Tel: +44 7768 377413
As the new term starts, TfL is calling on London schools to join its accreditation programme to encourage sustainable travel to school, to help improve air quality, health and safety.
By completing activities that promote walking and cycling to school and the safe use of public transport, primary and secondary schools can become Bronze, Silver or Gold accredited through the Travel for Life programme.
The programme is administered by London Transport Museum in partnership with London’s Borough Officers.
To achieve Gold accreditation, a school must have reduced car use by 6% or achieved 90% of the school run being made using sustainable transport. The number of schools awarded Gold in 2024 was 735, a 10% increase compared to 2023.
Bromley currently has the largest proportion of Gold schools, at 63%, followed by Islington at 49% and Havering at 45%. Meanwhile Waltham Forest currently has the largest overall number of schools participating in the TfL Travel for Life programme, with 81% of its schools involved.
St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Brent recently achieved Gold accreditation, having only signed up to TfL Travel for Life in March 2023. With a motto “swap the ride for a park for a park and stride,” the school is taking several actions including measuring the air quality in its immediate surroundings, holding assemblies and creating a podcast on active travel.
TfL Citizens, delivered by London Transport Museum, is one of the five TfL Travel for Life programmes and is for children aged 10-11 years. It now has more than 100,000 pupils and 91% of London schools taking part, preparing children for travelling to secondary school and teaching skills such as journey planning.
TfL says fewer parents driving children to school improves road safety and that in recent years, there has been sustained improvement in safety for under-16s on London’s roads. In 2023, the number of children killed or seriously injured on London’s roads reduced by 40% against TfL’s 2010-14 baseline.
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “The New Year is the perfect time to introduce children to sustainable travel so I would encourage as many schools as possible to join this fantastic scheme which improves the environment and supports fit and healthy lifestyles.
“We know that children who are introduced to active travel from a young age are more likely to continue the habit into adulthood – and it would be great to see even more schools involved this year.”
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