Exercise your rights and make a pitch for pedal power

PEOPLE that regularly drive past a school in the morning, or mid-afternoon, must be asking themselves: Does any child walk to school any more? These are the times of the day when you’ll find traffic jams outside practically every school in Ireland, causing hazards not only to other road users but also to children who weave in and out between vehicles.

Latest research shows that over half of schoolchildren live no more than a 20-30 minute walk (2km) from school and almost 80% live within 5km, again a reasonably short cycle for older schoolchildren. But less than 40% of schoolchildren walk or cycle.

The reason many parents give for taking their offspring to school in a car is that they want them to arrive safely. Ironically, however, car school runs are making the roads more unsafe, with the result that some parents are having second thoughts about school runs.

This is yet another vicious circle which can be hard to break. With heavily-trafficked roads nowadays, children are obviously at risk when they walk. Equally, when they go by car this puts more cars on the roads and leads to poor parking and congestion outside schools.

And, of course, there are also health issues here as children who are driven to school are deprived of the valuable exercise previous generations enjoyed or endured! We use the word “endure” in relation to children in rural areas who had walk four or five miles to and from their nearest schoolhouse each day in all kinds of weather.

You can be sure that such children knew nothing about obesity, which is becoming a common condition among the pupils of today. All of which brings us to the Irish Health Promotion Unit which is urging the young generation to walk or cycle to school.

“Half of primary schoolchildren live within 1km of school and two out of every three live within 2km of school. This is the perfect distance to walk or cycle — at least sometimes,’ said a unit spokesman.

The message being put across is that walking and cycling are easy ways to get exercise, stay fit and meet up with friends going to and from school. Also, by getting out of the car, children are doing their bit for the environment as well.

There’s even a compromise solution suggested, known as park and stride, whereby children are driven part of the way and walk the remainder of the journey.

A practical reason for walking is that it’s a great way to wake up and get ready for school. Studies show that pupils who walk to school are more awake and find it easier to concentrate during classes.

The promotion of more exercise is one of the ways of tackling obesity in children, which has been identified as an emerging public health problem. Worryingly, the age of onset of obesity in children across the world is falling and a child is twice as likely to be an obese adult, if obese in childhood. Less than half of teenagers aged 15-17 years take part in regular physical activity.

Meanwhile, a visit to the website www.onesmallstep.ie could be worthwhile for people thinking of leaving the car at home and instead opting for a bike. Cycling is described as the fun alternative to joining a gym, offering all the benefits of regular exercise. Increased aerobic fitness, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and lower cholesterol are some of the rewards.

Cycling also helps tone up calves, thighs, and hips and can burn off calories at a rate of up to 700 an hour. Studies have also shown that those who cycle to work have a significantly lower mortality rate.

Emissions from road traffic are the primary threat to the quality of air in Ireland. Cycling is a clean mode of transport that does not generate the harmful exhaust chemicals associated with cars and other vehicles.

With traffic conditions becoming ever less reliable, walking or cycling allows you to predict when you’ll arrive and better plan your day.