Road Safety and Active Travel to School

Matt Western Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Westminster Hall

[Olly Glover]

That is a very good example of how spending money well can lead to a big difference.

I have already mentioned the Netherlands, but my hon. Friends on the Lib Dem Benches would be disappointed were I not to bore them to tears by wanging on about the Netherlands at greater length. If I might plug an opportunity for hon. Members to see for themselves the marvels that have been achieved there on active travel, the APPG for cycling and walking plans a trip to the Netherlands in September.

In my constituency, there are many schools where lots of pupils and parents would like to walk and cycle but cannot because of infrastructure or other barriers. The Europa school in Culham is located on a major A road, and for years the parents and the school have campaigned for a crossing to connect the school with the nearby village of Culham across that A road. They have finally got a commitment that that will happen in the next year, but still the so-called cycle path that runs near the school is nothing of the sort: it is a pavement that someone has decided people can cycle on. It is not wide enough, and there have been collisions because of that. Far more needs to be done.

[Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)]

Last September in my constituency, a new school, Oakley, opened without even a direct footpath to the site, and certainly no cycleway. Sadly, within four weeks, there was a serious accident involving a child who had to be airlifted some 60 miles. Does the hon. Member agree that schools should not be allowed to open until such provision is put in place?

[Olly Glover]

The hon. Member gives a really strong example of how, when we plan new developments and new areas, there is no excuse for not getting the infrastructure right from the off.

Milton, a village where I recently lived, is split in two by the A34 and the enormous Milton interchange roundabout. The St Blaise school on the south side of the parish is effectively cut off from the older side of the village. Even though parish council meetings are only a mile away, people drive to them because although there have been plans for a footbridge over the A34 for ages, the money has, inexplicably, somehow run out. Villagers and parishioners are therefore not able to make the most of the opportunity to cycle or walk that very short distance.

This issue is not just about infrastructure; it is also about training and confidence to go walking and cycling. The Bikeability training programme, which rolls out cycle training across our schools, reduces risk, increases confidence and encourages long-term health and environmental benefits. It is the largest road safety programme in the world, and it is owned and funded by the Government. Local authorities with higher amounts of Bikeability level 2 training show significantly lower numbers of cyclists killed or seriously injured.

It would be interesting were Bikeability to be included in the national curriculum, just as swimming is; we can imagine how many essential, life-saving, lifelong skills would be formed. However, long-term, secure funding for Bikeability training for children and adults is essential to give providers stability and to enable sustainable planning for delivery. Indeed, 10 or 20 years ago many local authorities did provide free or very low-cost adult cycle training, but sadly many of those programmes have been cut back.