COUNCIL ENCOURAGES KIDS TO GET ACTIVE

[Kintyre Forum News]

COUNCIL ENCOURAGES KIDS TO GET ACTIVE

Argyll and Bute Council has received additional funding from the Scottish Executive to encourage young people to become more active.

The Scottish Executive has provided £330,000 to the Council to encourage children to walk and cycle to school more often.

The Council’s spokesperson for Roads and Transportation, Councillor Duncan McIntyre, said: “Argyll and Bute Council welcomes this funding and I hope that the number of people walking and cycling to school increases as a result.

“Not only will this cut congestion caused by parents dropping off their children at the school gates but it will also lead to a healthier lifestyle for both children and adults and will result in a reduction in car use.”

Improvements which the Council intends to carry out in Argyll and Bute include building bike and bus waiting shelters at Oban’s new school campus and around 40 primary schools. The Oban campus will also have a designated drop-off point.

Feasibility studies are to be done on Mull and Islay for possible walk to school routes and the Council is currently considering buying 10 bikes for Oban Hostel so that young people from Argyll Islands who stay at the hostel during the week, can use them after school to get around more easily and increase their fitness levels.

The Council hopes to complete these improvements by the end of March 2007.

Walk to school pathways have already been constructed by the Council in Benderloch, Appin, Kilmartin and Rosneath. Improvement work to school access paths at Inveraray has also been carried out.

[Jock Strap]

Seems a guid idea but all the dosh appears to be getting spent in and around the Oban area - what about the rest of Argyll?

Doesnae help that we don't have a new school and the existing one is built on top of a mountain! Not really ideal to encourage your kids to cycle up Woodlands is it? By the time they get there they'll be falling asleep during their lessons.

Planned to make kids walk in Carradale but that was thrown on the scrap heap...

Now I wonder which area Counillor McIntyre covers....