Primary school travel behaviour in Midlothian, UK

In the United Kingdom the 129proportion of children being driven to school, rather than walking, has almost doubled since 1985. This adds significantly to existing peak period traffic problems and may have a negative influence on children's future travel habits. If the reliance on private cars for children's travel to and from primary schools is to be reduced it is vital to understand and learn from current travel habits in a bid to formulate future transport policies. The authors' surveys of 1008 primary school children and 776 of their parents, in Midlothian, Scotland, have facilitated the identification of patterns of transport behaviour related to primary school travel and some of the reasons motivating these travel choices. This suggests ways of encouraging more sustainable travel habits. The results show that travel behaviour is influenced significantly by both age and distance from school, but additional differences between schools are also evident.