Parents have been urged to ditch petrol and diesel cars to set an example to their children, according to a local Bradford councillor.
Riaz Ahmed, a Liberal Democrat Councillor from Bradford Moor ward said parents driving their children to school was a “big issue” that hadn’t been solved.
He called out the “chock-a-block” nature of school runs and revealed it was vital more people “get out of cars”.
According to the Telegraph and Argus, Mr Ahmed said: “One of the big problems I see is around school start and finish times.
“The roads are chock-a-block – everyone is trying to drop their kids off by car.
“I haven’t seen any difference in recent years. You end up stood behind someone’s exhaust. When are we going to get parents walking their children to school?
“In my ward, not many people live more than half a mile away from their school, but parents still pick their children up by car and drop them off by car. It is always the same story.
“Have we made any difference? I don’t think we have. It is a big issue that there has been little change on.
“We need to change people’s behaviour at a very young age. We need to get more people out of cars.”
Councillors were being given an update on the JU:MP scheme was set up in 2018 to encourage young people to be more active.
The programme encourages youngsters between the ages of five to 11 to live more active lives through walking more and getting involved in sports.
Five years ago when the project began it was believed a staggering three-quarters of children across Bradford did not get 60 minutes of “moderate to vigorous” activity per day.
Dr Andrew Daly Smith, research director of JU:MP, suggested more work needed to be done with schools to promote healthy transport alternatives for children.
He explained: “Teachers are not trained to promote active travel, we’ve been working with them for a few years to try and address these needs.
“We need to reduce reliance on motorised transport and see a shift to walking or cycling.
“Have we stopped the problem? No. is it still a huge problem? Yes. Is Bradford any different from other cities? No.”
