SCHOOLS in Ellesmere Port & Neston beat the county average when it comes to having a safe and environmentally-friendly travel plan.
Currently 18 borough primary schools and three high schools have completed the plan, monitoring how children get to lessons each day.
And four more in the Port and Neston are expected to finish their travel plans by March 2008.
This equates to 58% of the borough’s schools to have such a plan of action, compared to a Cheshire-wide average of just 54%.
On top of this, three borough schools operate an official “walking bus” scheme, in which groups of pupils are led safely to class.
These can be found at Rossmore Primary, Parkgate Primary and Whitby Heath Primary, according to a report by the borough’s highways and transportation local joint committee.
But other schools also operate a “walking bus” at time, including Cambridge Road Primary.
Last month two minibuses, which had been funded by the local transport plan, were loaned to Sutton Green Primary and Rossmore Primary, both in Ellesmere Port, for a three-year period.
Sutton Green will take on the management of these buses, which can then be loaned out to other schools and community groups in the area. All drivers are required to have taken the appropriate training course.
A committee report says: “The main purpose of the buses is for them to be used on the school run, thus reducing the amount of cars driving to and from the schools. Their use will be monitored on a regular basis.”
The committee and the county council monitors how pupils get to school on an annual basis.
Last year, for the first time, Cheshire’s data was collected through the school census, a national scheme.
The data shows that 52% of primary-aged pupils and 57% of high school-aged pupils walk to school in Ellesmere Port and Neston.
This compares to the countywide average of 48% (primary) and 46% (secondary) walking to class.
