Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson visited Stoneyhill Primary School to hear pupils’ views on Scotland’s future transport.
Primary 5 pu[pils had the opportunity to present their plans for a more sustainable, active travel future as part of Transport Scotland's Journeys of the Future STEM programme.
It was fantastic to visit Stoneyhill Primary and hear the pupils’ views and the enthusiasm that they are bringing to this class project.
Stoneyhill Primary School is one of only 14 primary schools in Scotland to be taking part in the programme. Specialist transport planners will work with the school to deliver workshops for the children that give them the opportunity to learn more about this area and their own skills and interests. Over the course of the programme the children will develop their own transport strategy for their local area. Mr Matheson attended the school to join the children in the first of the workshops.
Journeys of the Future looks at the role of transport planning and questions how people want to get around Scotland in 2030 and beyond. It is part of the national Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) which will inform investment in Scotland’s transport network over the next 20 years. Stoneyhill Primary school pupils’ views will be put forward as part of an engagement programme that is taking place with organisations across the country.
East Lothian Council’s Cabinet member for Education and Children’s Services Councillor Shamin Akhtar said: “I welcome this programme, and others like it, that bring professionals into our schools and give our pupils a real insight into different sectors to broaden their awareness of career options. It will provide pupils with a great opportunity to develop a transport plan for their community.
“Transport planners work to find more innovative ways to meet current and predicted demand for travel. They look to present safe, attractive and sustainable travel options within environmental, engineering and financial constraints. Their work considers all modes of transport from active travel, such as walking and cycling, to public transport and private cars. It’s a role that demands critical thinking, the ability to develop strategies, connect ideas and reshape what travel looks like.
“It’s appropriate that it is our children and young people’s views that will influence future transport investment as they will affect most change in their lifetime and be most affected by it. I know that our pupils from Stoneyhill will make a valuable contribution to this area.”
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “It was fantastic to visit Stoneyhill Primary and hear the pupils’ views and the enthusiasm that they are bringing to this class project. I’ve no doubt that they will have some innovative and creative ideas and I hope they learn more about transport planning and why it is important that we continue to develop a transport network that helps protect our climate and supports our daily lives.
“Our school visits are part of the engagement programme for the Strategic Transport Project Review, which is considering the interventions that we will need in Scotland for the next twenty years, so it is important that we capture the opinions of our young people. Our teams have been going out around the country visiting organisations and businesses with the final report due for publication next year.“