Cycling to school also increases children's fitness

Four children from York are to represent the UK at a conference in Rome on how to reduce the number of cars making regular runs to school.

Lakeside Primary School at Clifton Moor has been chosen to attend the European Conference on School Mobility because of their success in encouraging children to walk, cycle or scooter to school.

Year five pupils Emily Jobson, Emily King, Sam Barber and Lee Walker will spend three days in Rome next week on a trip paid for by the transport charity Sustrans.

They will be accompanied by Lakeside teacher Kathryn Charnley.

Cycle sheds

She said: "What began as an effort to beat the traffic chaos outside school every morning and afternoon has become something much grater.

"The children's understanding of the need to make responsible travel choices means almost all of them want to walk to cycle to school."

Car travel to the school, which has 363 pupils, has almost halved in the past 18 months.

The campaign to reduce car use has been supported by the City of York Council which has provided new cycle sheds, traffic calming measures and cycle training.

Paul Osborne of Sustrans said: "The huge increase in cycling and walking is only part of the story.

"The children have become more environmentally aware and more health conscious."