Active travel among schoolchildren stays 'steady'

2 hours ago

News image — Active travel has remained steady among primary schoolchildren while dropping slightly at secondary schools

Getty Images A child wearing a white T-shirt and blue and white rucksack cycles along a pavement. The road is to their right and there is grass with some trees to the left. — Active travel has remained steady among primary schoolchildren while dropping slightly at secondary schools

Active travel rates among primary children going to and from school have remained the same as a year ago, an audit has found.

The Active Travel Audit measures how many people in Guernsey and Alderney travel by walking, cycling, scooting and blended travel - which are journeys made using a combination of motorised vehicle and active travel.

While the rate among primary schoolchildren remained "steady" at 51% in the year to May 2026, it had decreased from 38% to 35% at secondary schools, The Health Improvement Commission said.

Amy Woollaston from the commission said there had been some individual rises - largely at schools where "practical, sustainable initiatives" had been introduced.

These had been brought in to make active travel "safer and more accessible".

'Regardless of weather'

Woollaston said: "The more attractive the active option becomes, the more likely it is that walking, wheeling and cycling will become the norm for children and their journeys to school."

Schools asked children in each class how they travelled on 19 and 20 May 2026 - noted as having been "particularly damp and cold".

Although average rates across all modes travel remained the same, the number of primary children travelling by bike rose from 9% in May 2025 to 11% this year, according to The Health Improvement Commission.

Wollaston said the results considering the weather could indicate "more parents and carers are choosing to transport children by cargo bike, regardless of weather conditions".

The commission said there had been "notable increases" in active travel at schools where initiatives to encourage active travel had been introduced.

Vale Primary and La Houguette Primary, both of which run weekly walking buses during the spring and summer months, had increases in active travel of 12% and 5% respectively compared to the October 2025 audit.

Meanwhile Castel Primary School in Guernsey logged a 5% increase, following the launch of a School Street pilot scheme in April, it said.

Across secondary schools, 24% of active travellers chose e-bikes, with 26% using traditional bicycles.

"It could be that, as adults upgrade their bikes, older e-bikes may increasingly be passed on to teenagers, in much the same way mobile phones often are," said Woollaston.