Agenda item

Notice of Motion by Cllr Kate Blake

That the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee:

1.         Agrees the importance of active travel on health & mental wellbeing of school pupils and that this has a positive impact on readiness to learn;

2.         Notes that in the October 2022 active travel survey all primary schools in the city offered Bikeability level 2, bike/scooter parking and encourage park & stride amongst the school community;

3.         Notes that the Sustrans Hands Up Scotland report published in May 2023 shows that  the number of primary school pupils in Aberdeen City Council walking to school has declined from 65.1% in 2008 to 53.6% in 2022. 22.2% of pupils are driven to school;

4.         Agrees that Parent Councils across the city are regularly raising issues regarding pupil safety caused by inconsiderate parking and driving around drop off and pick up time;

5.         Agrees that School Street initiatives have had a beneficial impact across the UK. City of Edinburgh Council have been running School Streets since 2015 and currently operate at 12 schools in the city. Glasgow City Council and Dundee City Council also have several schemes in operation;

6.         Agrees that the report by Professor Adrian Davis of Edinburgh Napier University evidenced that active travel increased with street closures and that displaced traffic does not increase road safety issues in neighbouring streets;

7.         Notes the pilot schemes in operation in Fraserburgh South Park School and Moray, where initial results regarding air quality and increased walking & cycling to school are positive;

8.         Notes that funding for pilot School Street schemes is available to community groups including Parent Councils from Sustrans and Temporary School Streets Fund to fund a pilot for up to 12 weeks; and

9.         Instructs the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services following consultation with the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to report back to the next committee on the necessary steps to undertake a School Street scheme including the likely resource and network implications.

The Committee had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Blake in the following terms:-

That the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee:-

(1)      agrees the importance of active travel on health & mental wellbeing of school pupils and that this has a positive impact on readiness to learn;

(2)      notes that in the October 2022 active travel survey all primary schools in the city offered Bikeability level 2, bike/scooter parking and encouraged park and stride amongst the school community;

(3)      notes that the Sustrans Hands Up Scotland report published in May 2023 showed that the number of primary school pupils in Aberdeen City Council walking to school had declined from 65.1% in 2008 to 53.6% in 2022. 22.2% of pupils were driven to school;

(4)      agrees that Parent Councils across the city were regularly raising issues

regarding pupil safety caused by inconsiderate parking and driving around drop off and pick up time;

(5)      agrees that School Street initiatives have had a beneficial impact across the UK. City of Edinburgh Council had been running School Streets since 2015 and currently operated at 12 schools in the city. Glasgow City Council and Dundee City Council also had several schemes in operation;

(6)      agrees that the report by Professor Adrian Davis of Edinburgh Napier

University evidenced that active travel increased with street closures and that displaced traffic did not increase road safety issues in neighbouring streets;

(7)      notes the pilot schemes in operation in Fraserburgh South Park School and Moray, where initial results regarding air quality and increased walking and cycling to school were positive;

(8)      notes that funding for pilot School Street schemes was available to community groups including Parent Councils from Sustrans and Temporary School Streets Fund to fund a pilot for up to 12 weeks; and

(9)      instructs the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services following

consultation with the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to report back to the next Committee on the necessary steps to undertake a School Street scheme including the likely resource and network implications.

Councillor Blake moved, seconded by Councillor Macdonald:-

          That the Committee approve the notice of motion.

The Vice Convener, seconded by the Convener, moved as an amendment:-

          That the Committee:-

(a)           agrees the importance of active travel on health and mental wellbeing of school pupils and that this had a positive impact on readiness to learn;

(b)           notes that the Sustrans Hands Up Scotland report published in May 2023 showed that the number of primary school pupils in Aberdeen City Council walking to school had declined from 65.1% in 2008 to 53.6% in 2022. 22.2% of pupils were driven to school;

(c)           acknowledges that Parent Councils across the city were regularly raising issues regarding pupil safety caused by inconsiderate parking and driving around drop off and pick up time;

(d)           notes that in the October 2022 active travel survey, all primary schools in the city offered Bikeability level 2, bike/scooter parking and encouraged park and stride amongst the school community; and

(e)           instructs the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning, Interim Chief Officer - Education and the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to bring back a report on options for how to promote and improve active travel routes around schools.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (3) – Councillors Ali, Blake and Macdonald; for the amendment (9) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Farquhar, Henrickson, Hutchison, Massey, McLellan and Mennie.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the amendment.