How authorities in Greater Manchester want to change the school run

The school run is about to drastically change under plans to swap cars for walking, scooting and cycling(

The school run is about to drastically change under plans to swap cars for walking, scooting and cycling.

The number of School Streets in Greater Manchester is set to increase to 60 in the next year to boost the number of children walking, wheeling and cycling to school. Transport for Greater Manchester wants to develop more ‘School Streets’, which limit traffic during drop off and pick up time.

Some £1.3m of active travel funding will be used to deliver this, with the wider ambition to boost the number of School Streets to 100 by 2028.

The programme, fronted by Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey, has had a strong response across the city-region so far. All 10 local authorities requested funding to deliver new schemes, with the number of schemes in operation set to increase from 37 to 60 in the next year.

Dame Storey said: “We are taking the necessary steps to make it safe for children to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle to school in Greater Manchester. This should be a fun time of day for them where they can let off steam before starting the school day or one their way home.

“I’m pleased that we have had such a strong response to our initial call for expressions of interest for School Streets last Autumn and am looking forward to seeing as many of those as possible having a suitable solution found.

“Good progress is being made and I expect this to now accelerate so that by July 2026 and the end of the next academic year, the number of School Streets in operation will have increased to 60.”

According to TfGM, around a third of traffic at peak times in the morning or afternoon is from children being taken to and from school. The transport body wants to reduce reliance on cars and encourage healthier and more active lives for young people.

A School Street consists of a range of measures outside to limit traffic during drop off and pick up time. This is to address safety concerns for parents on the school run.

TfGM research shows just half of Greater Manchester’s residents feel it is safe for children to walk to school – and just 42pc believe it is safe for children to cycle to school.