South Lanarkshire Council Reviews School Travel Plans as Car Use Remains High

South Lanarkshire Council has outlined the steps it is taking to encourage children to travel to school in more active and sustainable ways, as new figures show progress remains mixed.

Members of the Road Safety Forum were presented with an update on the council’s school travel programmes at a meeting held on February 3. While initiatives are in place to promote walking, cycling and other forms of active travel, the latest data shows car journeys to school remain high and participation in active travel has fallen slightly.

The council’s School Travel Plan programme is designed to help schools encourage pupils to walk, cycle or scoot to school, while also improving safety in and around school entrances.

To date, 88 schools across South Lanarkshire have completed a School Travel Plan, with a further 54 schools currently in the process of creating or reviewing their plans. These plans typically involve gathering feedback from pupils, parents and staff, identifying traffic and safety concerns in the local area, and setting goals to cut congestion and emissions while supporting healthier travel choices.

The report presented to councillors also referenced findings from the national Hands Up Scotland Survey, which monitors how children travel to school. In 2024, 58.6 per cent of pupils in South Lanarkshire walked, cycled, scooted or used public transport. This represents a slight decrease from 60.1 per cent in the previous year and remains below the national average of 63.7 per cent.

Concerns about the effectiveness of the measures were raised by Councillor Kenny McCreary (Bothwell and Uddingston), who questioned whether parents and schools are seeing tangible improvements on the ground.

He told the forum that feedback from parent council meetings suggested ongoing issues, citing congestion and unsafe parking outside St John the Baptist Primary School in Uddingston. He described pavements being blocked by parked cars and difficulties for pedestrians with prams, adding that more parents appear to be driving directly to school entrances.

Councillor McCreary asked whether there was evidence of progress that could be shared with schools and parents who feel the situation is not improving.

In response, council officers said conditions vary significantly between schools depending on factors such as location, catchment size and pupil numbers. They stressed that School Travel Plans are tailored to individual schools and communities, and include monitoring processes to review issues such as congestion and safety around school sites.

Councillor Julia Marrs (Clydesdale North) also raised questions about the increase in car use for school journeys. She noted that the proportion of pupils travelling by car had risen from 23.9 per cent to 27.7 per cent over the past year, equating to an additional 1,185 pupils being driven to school.

While acknowledging that not all families have alternatives to driving, she asked whether the council had identified specific reasons behind the rise.

Council officers explained that the data provides only a general snapshot of travel patterns. However, they suggested that a longer-term approach could involve identifying individual schools where car use has increased most significantly and focusing targeted interventions in those areas.

As part of the wider programme, Health and Safety officers carry out Traffic Management Audits at every school, reviewing vehicle and pedestrian safety both within school grounds and on surrounding roads. Having an up-to-date School Travel Plan is a key requirement for these audits, with any issues beyond school boundaries passed on to Roads Services when necessary.

The council has also invested in improved cycling and scooting facilities, supported by a £129,665 grant from Cycling Scotland. This funding has enabled the installation and upgrade of bike and scooter shelters and storage facilities at schools across South Lanarkshire.