Brian Mathew

It is an honour to speak under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) for securing the debate. Giving children the opportunity to safely walk or cycle to school is vital. It not only ingrains healthy habits in children from a young age, bringing them closer to the nature and scenery that can be found in areas such as my constituency of Melksham and Devizes, but it teaches them road safety lessons, fosters independence and helps prevent climate change. Active travel practices in schools can also reduce traffic volume in our towns and villages as the number of cars around schools are reduced, thus minimising both pollution and the risk of road accidents. I commend Holt VC primary school in my constituency for its Big Walk and Wheel programme earlier this year, which saw many children in the village walk and cycle to school and take part in a walking bus. We need to encourage more of this. In Bradford-on-Avon, a town in my constituency that suffers greatly from traffic congestion, traffic is even worse during term time. This has meant more dangers for those on the road, especially children. During my time as a Wiltshire councillor, I worked with the Wiltshire Climate Alliance, as well as a number of other active travel-and-road-safety groups, to improve safety for those who use our roads—from cyclists to pedestrians, horses and horse riders. Unfortunately, that failed, but I hope the upcoming road safety strategy can be effective. Let us make travel to school not just pleasurable, but safe.