4. 90-second Statements

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:02 pm on 13 October 2021.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 3:02, 13 October 2021

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Today, in my role as Chair of the cross-party group on active travel, and after many months of behind-the-scenes cross-party work, we launched the much-anticipated active travel school toolkit at Penyrheol Primary School in Gorseinon. In Wales, we've made important steps to change the way we get to school, but the figures show we need to do so much more, especially on cycling, where fewer than 1 per cent of Welsh children regularly ride a bike to school, in stark contrast to European neighbours like the Netherlands, where 49 per cent of pupils travel to school by bike every single day. So, it was lovely to join the headteacher Alison Williams and pupils and others today on my bike as well along with children who travel to school on their bikes and scooters and by shanks's pony, too. Active travel benefits the physical and mental well-being of children, reduces emissions, helps combat the climate crisis, reduce congestion and pollution around school gates, improves the attentiveness of pupils in the classroom by giving them an energetic start to the day, and so much more. And our toolkit is not a fixed prescription; each school faces a unique set of challenges, but with this initiative, we provide school leaders and parents and governors with the ideas and resources they need to determine their own path towards being an active travel school and community. And by emphasising the importance of persuading others to travel to school actively, this kit aims to create an overwhelming local consensus on active school travel.

From start to finish, this has been about collaboration, partnerships between schools and families on the ground and the behind-the-scenes work of the cross-party group. So, the toolkit will be sent to all Members of the Senedd, to ask them to link with schools on this active travel journey. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd.