West Sussex County Council spends £1m to encourage active travel

A council has spent more than £1m on transport improvements outside primary schools to encourage walking and cycling.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said the changes were aimed at encouraging families to leave their cars at home and choose active and sustainable travel options for the school run.

The council said it had tried restricting traffic on roads outside schools during student arrival and dismissal times, with certain exemptions, turning some areas into pedestrian and cyclist-only zones.

The trials have been so successful that the changes are now permanent outside three primary schools, and three others in Crawley, Chichester and Littlehampton will also trial the experiment, the council said.