IN the early Seventies, nine out of ten primary school children walked to school, which was seldom very far away.

How times have changed. Now nine out of ten children are taken to school by car and the problems are there for all to see. The school run is a fact of modern life for most kids. Apart from clogging the roads, these cars also cause danger and congestion outside almost every school in the country. Brighton and Hove Council is trying to tackle the problem by producing safe routes to school in a pilot scheme at Saltdean. If this is successful, it will be extended elsewhere. One reason so many young children are driven to school is that parents fear roads are dangerous but by using their own cars they are adding to the difficulties for everyone. If more children can walk to school, or even if there is more car sharing, the result will be healthier kids and less frustrated parents.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.