Over the past 4 decades, there has been a large modal shift from walking to school to accompanying children by car in England.
Many studies have demonstrated the social, environmental, health, and psychological benefits associated with children鈥檚 active travel, such as walking or cycling, to school.
To address these concerns and promote healthier habits, the UK Government has set a target to raise the percentage of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school in England from 49% in 2014 to 55% by 2025. However, National Travel Survey in 2019 recorded the lowest-ever percentage of primary school children walking to school at 46%.
To contribute to the national target, the aim of the OptiWaSP (Optimised Walking Schoolbus Planning) project is to develop planning tools to enable schools, communities, and local authorities to organize and operate a Walking School Bus (WSB): a program where children walk to school in groups using planned routes and pick up spots, with each group lead by an adult.
The overall project will be conducted in three universities, Leeds, Lancaster and the West of England (UWE), with additional collaboration from Glasgow.
Date posted
31 October 2022
In the first strand of work of this 3 year project (WP1), operational research specialists at Lancaster are developing tools for determining WSB routes and stops considering multiple objectives, e.g., distance, time, safety, emissions exposure.
In WP2, mathematical modelling specialists at Leeds are developing new methods for predicting the uptake of such modes, the detailed interaction of traffic and pedestrians in terms of emissions exposure, and the design of control measures to alleviate impacts on WSB users.
In WP3, UWE and Glasgow will work with stakeholders and practitioners to determine the best avenue for practical application of the methods and models developed in WP1/WP2, and to utilise as much as possible knowledge and experience from existing schemes to promote walking to school.