Dulwich parents are striving to decongest the school run by encouraging the use of cargo bikes, mini-buses and other eco-friendly means of transport after a study shows that children are five times as exposed to air pollution on the school run than at any other time.

The parents, who set up Sustainable School Run organisation, also pointed out that the report by King’s College said air pollution was stronger inside cars and buses than it is on back streets but parents who drive to school can contribute to high levels of air pollution on back streets as they tend to use the roads for school runs while leaving their car engines idling. 

Data accessible via the Sustainable School Run website shows that 9,000 children in Dulwich attend non-catchment schools and therefore need a mode of transport to make the daily commute.

Some of the action the group are rallying for is the introduction of more parking restrictions around school, which will be “vital in deterring driving”, and to provide data to schools on how the students travel to school in order to expand sustainable travel options for families.

Along with the support the group has shown for cargo bike storage spaces, they are campaigning to introduce electric mini-buses into Dulwich to replace personal cars on the school run.   

Sustainable School Run is also campaigning for the use of the app Homerun, a platform that uses data from schools to offer sustainable travel solutions for school children. Homerun currently partners with multiple schools and local authorities across London, allowing parents to see other school-goers commuting plans, to which they can ride-share, find a ‘walking buddy’ if they have an older child and more.