The bar chart illustrate the percentage of students aged 5 – 10 and 11-16 who used different modes of transport ( walking, bicycle, car, and bus) to get to school in 1992 and 2012.
Overall, walking and cycling declined significantly over the 20-year period, while travelling by car and bus became more popular, particularly among older pupil.
In 1992, walking was the most common way to travel to school, with nearly 90% of 5-10-year-olds and around 60% of 11-16-year-olds walking. However, by 2012, these figures had dropped sharply to about 25% and 20 %, respectively. A similar trend is seen in the use of bicycles, where around 50-75% of students cycled to school in 1992, but this declined to roughly 45% for both groups in 2012.
In contrast, car usage increased markedly. In 1992, only around 5% of students in both groups travelled by car, but this rose to aproximately 30% for 5-10-year-olds and 20% for 11-16-year-olds by 2012. Bus travel also became more common, especially among older students. Around 5% of 11-16-year-olds took the bus in 1992, but this figure rose to over 60% in 2012. For younger children, bus use grew from roughly 2% to around 50 % over the same period.