Get involved: How do you get to school?

How do you get to school? Do you walk, ride your bike, scoot, or go by car or bus?

The government wants more children in England to get to school by using active travel.

That means travelling in a way that gets your body moving, like walking, cycling or wheeling.

The latest government figures, from 2023, show fewer than half of children aged five to 16 usually walk or cycle to school.

The new plan says that, within 10 years, at least 60% of children in England should be walking or cycling to school.

To help make that happen, government politicians say there will be 5,000 new walking, wheeling and cycling routes and 10,000 safer crossings set up by the year 2030.

There will also be £135 million spent to help children learn how to safely walk and cycle in areas where there is lots of traffic.

The money will also go towards helping schools to make travel plans for pupils.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "Too many people would like to walk, wheel or cycle more often but don't feel they have safe and convenient options to do so."

She also said: "This is about creating healthier communities".

The idea is not just about getting to school. The government also wants more short journeys in towns and cities to be made by adults walking, wheeling or cycling by 2035.

Not everyone in the UK is included in this plan. Transport rules are different in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so this plan only applies to England.

Other parts of the UK have their own plans.

The previous Welsh government had said it wants more journeys to be made in greener ways by 2040 including active school travel, but politicians have warned progress has been slow.

Northern Ireland set goals for more cycling - 20% of all journeys shorter than one mile - and more money for active travel, but a watchdog which checks on progress, said those goals did not seem to have been reached.

Scotland wants walking and cycling to become the most popular choice for short trips by 2030, but recent figures suggest there has not been much change since 2012, at 1-2% for cycling and around 50% favouring walking.

What about you? How do you get to school, and would you like to walk, cycle or scoot more often? And would it feel safe doing so?

Tell us in the comments!