Successful trial of Green Travel Plan for schools

During Bike to School Week and ahead of next week's Climate Change Committee, Liberal Democrat Councillor Jake Sampson welcomed the success of the Green Travel Plan by the council's Sustainable Transport Team and said that "It's brilliant to see the Sustainable Transport Team being so active in getting schools to take responsibility for getting their students to school in an environmentally friendly way. I'm glad to see that the team has recognised the environmental damage which is being caused by idling cars. We have had an issue at a school in Newham Ward, where residents living nearby have complained about the noise and air pollution caused by parents waiting outside the school to pick up their children. Idling cars are a danger to children's health as they add toxic fumes into the air we breathe."

Councillor Jake Sampson and Councillor Hilde Hendrickx have taken steps to address this issue of noise and air pollution, by implementing a no parking restriction on the nearby residential road during the peak of rush hour. This encourages parents to stop idling their cars in the area or parking irresponsibly on nearby residential roads and also encourages the use of environmentally friendly transport such as cycling and walking.

Councillor Jake Sampson said "The School Street pilot at Cauldwell Schoool and the Modeshift Stars Platinum Accreditation to Goldington Green Academy are just the first of many success stories to come to Bedford Borough. The trial at Cauldwell School has seen an increase in people walking and cycling to school and an improvement in local air quality. Goldington Green Academy completely deserve their Platinum Accreditation after a huge decrease in car usage over the last three years. This is fantastic news and another example of how the whole Borough is working together to help protect the environment."