Living Streets has said action is needed to encourage more youngsters to walk to school
Parents should be banned from dropping off children at the school gates in cars, a charity has said.
Living Streets has said that the amount of youngsters walking to school has dropped over the past decade.
And the charity wants to see a ban on cars at primary schools to improve road safety, and cut congestion and air pollution.
A survey of more than 1,000 parents showed only 43% of children walk to school, down from 48% 10 years ago.
A third of parents questioned said they would take pollution into consideration when choosing a school. The vast majority (86%) of 18 to 24-year-olds said they were concerned about pollution around schools, but this drops to 32% for 45 to 54-year-olds.
Stuart Hay, director of Living Streets Scotland, called for local authorities and schools to work together to encourage walking to school.
“We would like a ban on people driving up to the school gate – adding to air pollution, congestion and road danger during drop off and pick up,” he said.
“Walking to school not only improves our air quality but is a great way for children to build more exercise into their daily lives, helping them to arrive to school healthier, happier and ready to learn.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We take air pollution very seriously and are committed to protecting the public from the effects of poor air quality. Compared to the rest of the UK and other parts of Europe, Scotland enjoys a high level of air quality, but we cannot be complacent.
“Whilst it is for local authorities to manage the school estate, we are working closely with them to deliver a network of Low Emission Zones in cities, which will improve public health by reducing pollution. Our Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action to promote air quality and Scotland is the first country in Europe to pass legislation based on World Health Organisation guidelines for fine particulate matter.”
