Cycle to School Week campaign flags cost and co2 savings to parents

The Bikeability Trust and Sustrans launch this year’s Cycle to School week with a new message – swap the car for a bike ride with the kids and save £160 per year on fuel costs.

With families tightening purse strings amid economic uncertainty and soaring inflation, the pair are tilting the messaging around the 3rd to 7th of October effort to get across the financial benefits, as well as the health and social benefits of switching to active travel for short journeys.

On average, according to Cycling UK, just 2.2% of children cycle to school and a whopping 35.4% are driven to school. The average journey to school is just 2.4 miles, a journey cycled by most in around 15 to 20 minutes, which can often be faster in urban areas than drop off by car.

In total, the journeys to school pledged during Bike to School Week in 2021 saved over £20,000 of fuel. This year, the charities believe savings could be even greater. Families who swap their daily school run in the car for pedal power could save almost £160 a year, according to the calculations presented by the pair.

If an average journey is 2.4 miles and the average cost of fuel is £1.8 per litre, £157.65 could be saved per year. Based on the following vehicle example; 2010 plate petrol car at 65mpg for 2.4 miles each way, five days a week in rush hour.

The campaign does of course bring other perks that should hit home with parents hoping to see less pollution at the school gates. If just one child cycled to school instead of travelling in the car for a year, it would save almost half a tonne in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to growing eight trees for a decade or charging 58,388 mobile phones.

Emily Cherry, CEO at The Bikeability Trust, said: “I am so proud that the Bikeability Trust is taking the lead on Cycle to School Week, in partnership with our friends at Sustrans. It’s so important that children are active and a cycling commute is great for the health – and purses! – of the whole family, as well as our planet. We have already trained over four million children to cycle, and we are excited to celebrate the joys of cycling across the UK in October.

“By working with schools and families to encourage a more active school run, we’re now embedding healthy habits in the next generation. I will be pledging to discover a new cycle ride with my family this Cycle to School Week, what will yours be?”

Children are ready to cycle to school independently once they’ve completed their Bikeability Level 2, which teaches them the skills they need to cycle confidently and safely on the roads. Children in Year 5 and Year 6 who have taken part in Bikeability should be able to cycle to school by themselves or with friends.

Xavier Brice, CEO at walking and cycling charity Sustrans, said: “Sustrans works across the UK to ensure everyone is able to access safe routes, so we know that to get more people, of all generations, to travel actively, we must make it easy and enjoyable to walk, wheel and cycle. This means designing the places where we live and learn around people, to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions around schools and to help children build relationships with their environment and their community.

“We are delighted to partner with the Bikeability Trust for Cycle to School Week which is a fantastic way to encourage pupils and families to travel actively together, inspiring the crucial change in how we travel that benefits us all.”

CyclingIndustry.News will soon carry an interview with The Bikeability Trust’s Emily Cherry in our print magazine, to which bike trade members can subscribe free of charge here.