THE SCHOOL RUN |
| One of the surprises of old newsreel films is the | | means a daily trek across town. There may, or |
| sight of thousands of schoolchildren walking to | | may not, be a bus route; increasingly, pupils are |
| school each morning. The camera rarely lingers | | expected to make their own way to school, |
| on them: there was nothing unusual in | | relying on private transport. Schools appear |
| youngsters, not yet in their teens, whistling down | | indifferent to the problems of parking, traffic |
| urban streets largely free of traffic. How [id:11823] | | control and pollution. But what they, and par- |
| would be such a film today. There would be few | | ents, now believe is that walking to school, |
| children on the streets, and fewer still walking | | even if possible, is unwise. Intense focus on the |
| unaccompanied below the age of 11. And around | | rare instances of children molested [id:11826] |
| the gates of each school there would be a vast | | that perverts await on every corner - though |
| traffic jam of crawling, honking cars, pushing | | Home Office statistics show such crimes are no |
| aggressively into the brief space by the kerb to let | | more common now than they were a generation |
| out one, or at most two, children. The road behind | | ago. Undeniably, however, traffic is now so |
| them would be blocked. | | heavy, polluting and fast that the risk of acci- |
| For some schools, the morning jams have | | dents is greater than ever before. |
| become a factor so limiting that they cannot | | Some years ago the Government launched a |
| increase their intake. Two things in particular | | Safe Routes to School campaign, encouraging |
| have worsened the problem. The first is the | | local councils to police and clear the paths, |
| expansion of parental choice. The second is the | | pavements and crossings used by children. This |
| perception that [id:11824] is no longer safe. | | has had a limited success; but it applies only at |
| With schools competing for the best pupils, | | limited hours. So, unfortunately, those remaining |
| parents are encouraged to select those that offer | | at school for hobbies or sports must still rely on |
| the best above those that are nearest - [id:11825] this | | [id:11827] |
