Schools & Clubs
There’s lots of evidence that shows that children who walk and cycle regularly, concentrate better in class and achieve higher grades. Riding a bike also improves the development of motor skills, coordination and balance.
However, only 11% of children in Scotland meet the daily recommended 60 minutes of activity.
If you are looking to encourage active travel and road safety into the school run or journeys to local clubs, why not consider:
Add active travel information to all newsletters reminding parents and carers to park and stride.
Identify local bike and scooter storage and tell the young people.
Sign up to Sustrans teaching resources here xxx
Host an active travel day at schools
Sign up to Sustrans annual Big Walk and Wheel
Get pupils involved in a school or club survey to find out how people travel to school and share results
Create a care free school zone
Sing up to the daily Run a Mile scheme
Take a look at Living Streets Walk to School resources
Create a School Street in collaboration with the local authority
Set up a walking school or club bus where adults take turns to walk a group of children to school or club
Businesses
It’s time to add some fun to the office commute!
We all want to work in a healthy environment and encouraging active travel in the workplace makes sense for lots of reasons.
Why not introduce one or more of these initiatives to your office.
Introduce a cycle to work scheme
Add bike mileage as an expenses perk
Provide information on local cycle routes – access here
Introduce a free active travel breakfast snack
Hire bike schemes?
Host a bike maintenance workshop
Start a walking buddy group
Add cycling storage
Introduce wellbeing walks
Introduce an active travel office challenge such as the Sustrans free online challenge
Sign up to Living Streets Walk Champions Training
Consider applying for an Active Travel award or create your own
Young people
Making positive travel choices impacts us all regardless of age although young adults’ participating in walking and cycling has demonstrated to be lower than other groups although are more likely to make use of public transport.
Ayrshire College has been actively promoting the benefits of active travel amongst its students as part of their support into health and wellbeing.
And for one former student, Calum White, his step into active travel has taken on a more ambitious route!
Calum, who currently works in the marketing team and was a former HND graphic comms student, came top in a design competition to create the logo for the Ayrshire Link which is now being rolled out across the community through all the branding and merchandise.
Judges were impressed by Calum’s winning design for the Ayrshire Link which earned him a trophy and a £300 voucher, as well as a placement at a Glasgow design studio, Reflexblue, where he created brand guidelines for the project and saw his design come to life.
Inclusive cycling
& walking
There are a number of initiatives available to support this.
Biosphere Bikes and Girvan Town Team offer two beach wheelchairs and a beach walker for hire. Although free, booking is required, and details are available from biospherebikes.com/beach-wheelchairs
Ayrshire Sportsability and Inspire South Ayrshire organise short walks for people with a disability every Monday at 11am in Ayr. Further information is available from Ayrshire Sportsability Facebook page.
COMMUNITY GROUPS
All South and East Ayrshire’s progress with active travel routes and activities is communicated through CAG, the Community Active Travel Group, and community representatives meet monthly.
Membership is comprised of representatives from community councils and key community stakeholders.
Further information on CAG is available from
theayrshirelink@streets-uk.com
or call 0800 987 5990
