The Health Improvement Commission has some good news to trumpet from its most recent statewide survey! As a result, there has been a dramatic uptick in the number of kids walking and biking to school in Guernsey. The snapshot survey takes place bi-annually, each May and October. As a new program since launching in 2022, it has been incredibly important for tracking changing travel habits.
These latest results show a significant increase in levels of active travel by all primary and secondary school pupils. In October 2024, 58% of primary school respondents said they used active travel modes to travel to school. In a similar vein, the proportion of secondary school respondents using active travel rose from 37% to 43% in the same time-frame.
Amy Woollaston, the active travel officer at the Health Improvement Commission, said she was excited by these developments.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see active travel to and from Guernsey schools gaining real momentum.” – Amy Woollaston
The survey methodology involved asking children in each class how they traveled to and from school over two consecutive days, providing a reliable snapshot of transportation trends.
One of the more surprising trends was the significant plummet in secondary students’ use of motorcycles. According to the FHWA National Transportation Statistics data, motorcycle use dropped to a mere 2% in October 2024, down from 9% in May 2024. This record-breaking decline is a testament to the efforts that have drastically improved students’ access to healthier, more sustainable modes of transport.
The Health Improvement Commission has been an energetic advocate for active travel. This new effort is a major step towards realizing their mission to enhance the health of the communities they serve. These annual surveys are foundational to access and assess our progress. They motivate further efforts to reduce our reliance on motor vehicles.
With the end of data collection still a ways off, there’s plenty of opportunity for this year’s positive trajectory to result in future milestones, Woollaston added.
“October 2025 marked a milestone, recording the highest combined levels of active travel across both primary and secondary schools since data collection began.” – Amy Woollaston
