Blackburn pupils cut school-run car journeys by 30%
More than 5,600 pupils at 23 schools in Blackburn with Darwen logged 191,000 journeys by walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling between April and July 2026. Across participating schools, car journeys fell by 30.6% compared with figures recorded before they joined the programme.
The figures come from Living Streets’ WOW Travel Tracker, run on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. The council says 57% of journeys were made by pupils walking or wheeling all the way to school.
What the travel figures show
The figures describe journeys recorded by schools taking part in WOW during the period. They do not show how travel changed across every school in the borough, or establish that the programme alone caused the reported reduction in car journeys.
St Barnabas Church of England Primary Academy in Darwen topped the regional WOW leaderboard for the summer term. Its share of pupils’ all-the-way journeys made by car dropped from a baseline of 60% to 12%, according to the council’s report.
| Measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Participating schools | 23 |
| Pupils taking part | More than 5,600 |
| Journeys logged, April–July 2026 | 191,000 |
| Journeys made walking or wheeling all the way | 57% |
| Change in car journeys at participating schools | 30.6% reduction |
Route improvements and next steps
The council says it has supported the programme with safer-route work, including crossings, traffic calming, speed measures and parking restrictions. At St Luke & St Philip’s CE Primary School in Blackburn, improvements following a route audit included a new paved footway, a dropped kerb, railings at a junction and double yellow lines. Litter and fly-tipping along the route were also cleared.
A route audit at St Francis RC Primary School identified a need for a pedestrian crossing on Preston Old Road near Cherry Tree Lane. The council says the crossing will be installed soon. St Paul’s RC Primary School in Feniscowles is due to join WOW in the 2026/27 academic year, while existing participating schools are set to continue. The new programme theme is “Walk the Senses”.
Source: Blackburn with Darwen Council News
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- The Shuttle / Blackburn with Darwen Council News
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- Blackburn with Darwen
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- 2026-10-29 16:00
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