NEWS
Couch potato parents are risking the health of their children
Research published by Living Streets as part of International Walk to School Month has highlighted a direct link between parental behaviour and childhood activity levels.
New Living Streets research has found that children who have 'active' parents (those that say they try to walk where they can) are 68% more likely to walk to school than children of 'inactive' parents (those who rely on their car at all times), demonstrating the need for parents to act as positive role models and set examples to their children for the benefit of their health.
Find out more from Living Streets
All Pupils in England To Get Healthy Lifestyle Lessons
All pupils in state schools will now receive high quality lessons in everything from first aid and personal finance to relationships and the consequences of drugs misuse as Schools Ministers announced that Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) will become a compulsory part of the curriculum from Key Stage 1 to 4 (ages 5 to 16) with PSHE given designated space in the timetable.
Find out more from DCSF
Edinburgh Cycle paths get busier as two wheels prove better than four
The number of cyclists using Edinburgh's off-road paths doubled in three months, according to new figures from Sestran.
Initial findings show the number of bikes recorded by the counters leapt from 38,718 in the last three months of 2007 to 75,489 between January and April 2008.
The counters also reveal that the city's cycle paths are mostly used during the week by commuters, with 8am and 5pm the peak times, while Wednesdays are the most popular day for cyclists, according to the Sestran figures.
Find out more from Scotsman
New Faces at the Department for Transport
Geoff Hoon replacing Ruth Kelly as Secreatary of State is not the only change in recent weeks. Taking over Ministerial responsibilities for Smarter Choices from Rosie Winterton will be Paul Clark MP, the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport. Meanwhile Nigel Campbell who was Divisional Manager, Cycling and Sustainable Travel, Regional and Local Transport Delivery Directorate has also moved on and is to be replaced by Jessica Matthew formerly of the DCLG
European Green Capital title
The European Commission has just announced the 35 candidate cities that have applied for the first two years of European Green Capital title.
Some of them are medium sized, but none of them small, because only cities with more than 200000 inhabitants can apply.
Find out more from Europa
Interview with new Secretary of State for Transport - "I love cars"
In an interview with The Telegraph Geoff Hoon said: "I drove 3,500 miles this summer on our family holiday, we drove across 10 countries. I have driven across the United States four times. I love cars, I love being in cars, I think so do most people. I want to help and support those people who have that same kind of enthusiasm for driving that I have."
Find out more from The Telegraph
New Department for Transport (National) Transport Statistics
The Department for Transport has published the following Transport Statistics:
- Public Transport Statistics GB: 2008 Edition
- Experiences and perceptions of anti-social behaviour and crime on public transport
Find out more from DfT