Hillingdon want more kids walking & cycling to school

This week, in our role as coordinators of the London Healthy Streets Coalition we joined forces with Hillingdon Friends of the Earth and the Hillingdon Climate Action Group and wrote to Councillor Susan O’Brien at the London Borough of Hillingdon seeking a meeting about School Streets in particular but also Hillingdon’s progress on ensuring fewer trips to school are made by car.

Hillingdon has established an ambitious target to increase active travel on the school run from 65% in 2018 to 70% by 2021, 75% by 2031 and 80% by 2041¹. With a third of Year 6 Hillingdon children either overweight or obese² urgent action is clearly needed.

Evidence shows School Streets are a key way to deliver results, enabling children to walk, cycle or scoot to school, building exercise into their daily lives. Research shows School Streets lead to increases in active travel, and reductions in traffic and emissions³. As respiratory disease is the third highest cause of death in Hillingdon², School Streets would also have benefits for the wider population and are likely to have strong support from residents.

The 2023 Healthy Streets Scorecard⁴ shows TfL STARS points awarded to Hillingdon Schools rose from 13% in 2021 to 24% but the council only implemented one School Street, in 2020, and since then the 2023 Healthy Streets Scorecard data shows no further increase.

As a coalition, we advocate School Streets should be implemented for all primary and secondary schools and we are keen to discuss with Hillingdon whether the council has plans for more and what we can do to support the borough to introduce more.

Find out more about why CPRE London supports the ‘healthy streets’ agenda.

The London Healthy Streets Coalition: London Living Streets; Sustrans London; RoadPeace; Action Vision Zero; London Cycling Campaign; Wheels for Wellbeing; Possible; CPRE London; Future Transport London. We are partnered with London TravelWatch. We are supported by Asthma Lung UK and Clean Cities Campaign. E: HSS@cprelondon.org.uk W: www.healthystreetsscorecard.london

1. London Borough of Hillingdon Third Local Implementation Plan (LIP3) 2019 – 2041
2. 2022 Hillingdon Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
3. https://www.london.gov.uk/press–releases/mayoral/mayor–hails–success–of–schoolsstreets–programme/
4. https://www.healthystreetsscorecard.london/
5. London Borough of Hillingdon Air Quality Annual Status Report for 2021
6. https://lcc.org.uk/campaigns/climate–safe–streets–hillingdon/