West Sussex County Council is spending £1 million to encourage active travel

A council has spent more than £1 million on transport improvements outside primary schools to encourage walking and cycling.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said the changes are designed to encourage families to leave their cars at home and choose active and sustainable travel options for the school run.

The council said it has trialled restricting traffic on roads outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times, with certain exceptions, making some areas pedestrian and cycle only zones.

The trials were so successful that the changes were now permanent outside three primary schools, while a further three in Crawley, Chichester and Littlehampton would trial the experiment, the council said.