Mum of two Amy Emmerson cycles the school run on a daily basis. The journey takes just five to ten minutes from her home in the Avenues to her daughter’s primary school, less than a mile away.
Amy uses a tag-a-long bike for her daughter who she deems a ‘part-time pedaller’, but says she still manages to carry out the school run in less time than it would take for her to drive.
Amy said: “I’ve saved time by cycling, mostly from not having to find a parking space, and going to the shops is super quick by bike as there are usually bike stands or suitable places to secure my bike so no endless searching for parking spaces.”
A 2021 YouGov study showed nearly half of UK children worry about air pollution near their school and they thought that active travel was the best away to bring down these pollution levels.
Amy said: “I have always had a bike and been confident to use it. My Dad used to commute to work by bike and train and we cycled a lot as a family. For small journeys cycling or walking is my preferred option and is nearly always the quickest.
“The feeling of getting somewhere under my own steam gives me a buzz. Hull is a brilliant city to cycle in seeing as it is so flat, it’s so much easier than in other cities. I used to live in Sheffield and that was a much more challenging terrain!
“Cycling is also very social. I’m always ringing my bell and waving at my friends as I ride around. It connects you more with what is going on around you, very different to how it feels when I’m driving my car. I notice more of what is happening and feel the weather and the change in the seasons.”
And in order to increase levels of active travel, national charity Sustrans will be carrying out their annual Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2022 which takes place between 21 March and the 1 April 2022.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is the UK’s largest inter-school active travel competition and is designed to increase the number of children taking active journeys.
Councillor Dean Kirk, portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways said: “We recognise that supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of our students is vital to their development, and walking and cycling to and from school is a great way to do this.
“In order to encourage students to travel more actively, schools across the city are advised to sign-up with Modeshift STARS, a scheme that offers training to children and young people to develop their confidence and skills when making their journey to school by bicycle.
“Ultimately we want to work with our residents to build a cleaner, greener city and one way to do this is to enable people to travel sustainably by improving cycling and walking facilities and ensuring they are equipped with the right skills to travel safely and actively.
“We look forward to seeing which schools take part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2022, because travelling actively to school, rather than by car, helps reduce congestion and improve air quality around the school.”
To find out more about the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2022 visit www.bigwalkandwheel.org.uk
