Bishops Down Primary School in Tunbridge Wells faces the same dilemma as many other schools, how do the children get to and from school safely?They have joined an innovative and ever growing scheme called the Walking Bus. Safe routes to and from school are walked by a leader who collects and deposits children, (dressed in their bright safety tabards), from their homes or pick up points along the way.
	Several routes operate simultaneously on foot and converge on the school cutting back dramatically on the use of cars. The children themselves see this as a safer and healthier option than dodging all the cars and queues that used to plague the school and surrounding houses or streets twice a day.
		The school decided to stage an opera written and performed by the staff and pupils representing their views of travel. Many of the images of the car were very negative with angry cars and frustrated drivers, so what could be done to address this?The increasing urgency to speed up our lives, get every thing done and move on to the next thing was symbolically portrayed by clocks that had gone haywire, springs and numbers hanging off in all directions.
	The sense of everything beginning to be out of control because of the speed we live at, our increasing use of the car to cram more and more activities into what seems to be less and less time built up to a sense of chaos and pandemonium. The walking bus evolved from this plot as the solution, the healthier option. This form of sustainable school transport has brought real benefits to this school and its neighbours and they are keen to promote its use by others.