National first to engage northern secondaries in sustainable travel

Issued by Aberdeenshire Council

Five councils in the north of Scotland will take part in a groundbreaking event on Friday (March 20) aimed at involving young people and teachers in planning for sustainable transport.

The Northern Secondaries Sustainable Travel Action (NSSTA) seminar is designed specifically to enthuse and empower secondary schools to engage in school travel planning activity.

The project is the first of its type in Scotland, possibly even the UK, and pupils and staff from 26 secondary schools across northern Scotland will attend.

The event will be opened with a keynote speech from Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson.

Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Moray, Highland and Shetland councils are all taking part and funding has been secured from the Scottish Government for the pilot.

Through partnership working across local authority boundaries it has been possible to organise a large scale event which has attracted Government support, private sponsorship and the involvement of local celebrities.

The idea for a secondary-specific event was initiated in response to a gap in processes to engage secondary schools in travel planning activity.

It is hoped that if the project is successful, it could provide the basis for similar events across Scotland’s local authorities.

Officers have worked closely with the School Travel Team at Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity, who administer “Tackling the School Run” on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Inverness was chosen as the location for the event, as a “central” point for all local authorities taking part, and it will mainly be workshop-based to ensure “hands-on” participation.

There will also be presentations for pupils and staff from schools in northern Scotland demonstrating best practice.

The event will be compered by Ginno Conti and Nicky Marr from Moray Firth Radio’s breakfast show on Friday, March 20 at the Inverness Ironworks.

The main aim will be to encourage healthier, more environmentally friendly methods of travel for both pupils and staff members.

Around 150 pupils and school staff are expected to attend the event, which looks set to be fun, informative and constructive.

Representatives from Sustrans, the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Travel Team and guests from related initiatives will also be invited, but it will primarily be a day for the pupils and staff involved.

“The Northern Secondaries Sustainable Travel Action event will help pupils and staff identify practical options for delivering increased use of alternative forms of transport, including walking and cycling, in secondary schools,” said Aberdeenshire Council School Travel Planning Officer, Aurelie Irving.

“We believe this is the first event in the UK to work directly with secondary-age pupils – currently primary schools are more involved than secondary schools in school travel planning activities, and we hope we can change that with this innovative event.

“The event in Inverness will look at ways to achieve a shift to alternative forms of transport which can benefit health, safety and the environment, providing attendees with the tools to put their aspirations into practice.”

By creating a greater numbers of pupils who feel they are able to act upon their ideas and make a difference to their school transport environment, organisers are confident that modal shift in the travel habits of pupils and staff will follow.

Highland councillor John Laing said the authority is happy to be hosting such an innovative event.

“A hundred and fifty pupils and staff from across northern Scotland will be attending this seminar and we hope to achieve some good ideas for sustainable school transport across the area,” he said.
 
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