A CAMPAIGN to encourage more children to find green ways to get to school has been hailed a success after figures showed a drop in the number of students travelling by car.

An extra 760 pupils of all ages used alternative methods to get to schools across Darlington in 2012, compared to the previous year, including walking, using scooters and bikes and public transport.

The Local Motion project, run by Darlington Borough Council since 2004, surveyed all primary and secondary school pupils at schools across the borough about how they travel to and from school.

The survey showed 5,948 children walk to school each day, while 740 cycle – well above the national average.

The number of children travelling by car has dropped from 3252 in 2011 to 2834 last year, while the number of pupils car sharing has also increased.

Red Hall Primary School and St Aiden’s Academy were named as the greenest schools in the borough, with 93.8 per cent and 93.2 per cent of pupils respectively using non-car methods to get to class.

Councillor Andy Scott, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for health, said: “With childhood obesity coming under increasing scrutiny it is essential that we begin to change habits from an early age.

“Encouraging children to cycle or scoot to and from school offers an ideal opportunity to take in some of their daily 60 active minutes to set them on the path to a healthier lifestyle and to help change general travel choices to contribute to the environment.”

The Local Motion team works with each school in the borough and aims to educate children about the choices available to them through walk to school days, walking trains and park and walk zones near schools.

The team also provide information about using public transport safely.

David Lyonette, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The survey is evidence that even more pupils, and their families, are choosing to travel to school by methods other than the car.

“Not only does this reduce the number of cars on our roads at peak times, it also makes life healthier for those pupils who walk, cycle or scoot to school.”