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Children are the power brokers that can shift parents' habits on the school run—and could be key to making healthier, greener travel choices the norm, according to a new report from the University of Surrey.

Commissioned by Surrey County Council and delivered through the university's Institute for Sustainability Innovation Hub, the report looked at how schools across the UK and internationally are encouraging families to walk, cycle or wheel to school instead of driving.

The report's authors found that while families are generally supportive of safer, more active travel, they're often held back by concerns over road safety, time pressures and infrastructure.

The most effective initiatives, the report argues, are those that bring together schools, local authorities, planners and families to tackle these issues head-on.

"The school run is rarely straightforward. Families support safer, active travel, but if we want more children walking or cycling, we need to stop seeing this as just an issue for school staff and parents to deal with," says Professor Benjamin Gardner.

"Schemes and reward programs can spark interest, but they won't bring about changes to the school run unless the wider system supports change. Parents worry about safety, time and whether their child can travel independently. We need a joined-up approach. Lasting change depends on schools, councils, planners and families working together to make walking or cycling feel like the easy and safe option."

"We've commissioned this report to better understand how we can support and encourage parents, caregivers and children to travel to school sustainably," says Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth at Surrey County Council.

"We're investing £5.5m over the next five years to improve road safety to encourage more walking, cycling and wheeling so children can take safer journeys, and to reduce pollution around schools. We're also continuing to deliver Feet First walking training and Bikeability cycling training to provide lifelong road safety skills for Surrey's school children.

"We're looking forward to working with our schools and others to design tailored initiatives and infrastructure that will benefit children now and in the future."

The research team reviewed travel initiatives in the UK, Europe and beyond, including Canada, Australia and Brazil. They found that even young children can play a crucial role in influencing their parents' school run choices, especially when schools engage children through activities, lessons or competitions.

Surrey researchers conducted two focus groups with staff and caregivers at Surrey schools, analyzed a range of international case studies, and reviewed both academic and gray literature. They used the COM-B model—which looks at capability, opportunity and motivation—to understand what stops or supports families from choosing active travel on the school run.

will help shape the council's new School Travel Effectiveness of Planning (STEP) tool, designed to measure what's working—and what is not—in encouraging active school travel across Surrey.