This paper examines whether intensified competition between schools for pupils, particularly through the establishment of Grant Maintained Schools, has increased travel distance and the reliance on motorised modes for education journey. Since the early 1990s, policy in both the transport and environment sectors has focused on reducing the need to travel and reducing the reliance on the car in order to reduce the environmental impacts of transport. Furthermore, the government favours the provision of safe routes to school and is encouraging local authorities to develop safe route initiatives. This is clearly best achieved when distances between home and school are minimised. Anecdotal evidence suggests that greater parental choice is at odds with these aspects of environment and transport policy. The paper studies the travel patterns of secondary school pupils in four local authority areas, Bath, Chichester, Salisbury and York.
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