CYCLE training in York has helped reduce the number of child bike casualties in the city by a quarter, the Government revealed.

The statistics were announced as the Government unveiled new plans to boost walking, cycling and bus travel to school and tackle congestion around the school run.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke and Transport Secretary Alistair Darling are behind the scheme, which could see school timetables staggered to reduce early morning traffic jams.

Ministers have promised to spend £50 million over the next two years on their attempt to wean parents off driving their children to and from lessons.

They want more children to walk or cycle to school and urged local education authorities to work with parents on drawing up "travel plans" involving safer routes, more road crossings, lower speed limits and cycle paths.

Head teachers warned they would find it difficult to "sell" a staggered timetable to parents, most of whom did not drive their children to school.

But Mr Darling said a fifth of morning rush hour traffic was caused by the school run. Under the Government's plans, primary schools will be able to ask for £5,000 and secondaries for £10,000 each to spend on improving facilities such as bike sheds.

Primary schools in particular were urged to give pupils more road safety and cycle training.

York's reputation as a cycling city was given more credence when Ministers praised the work the city's schools had done to develop road safety skills - with the Government claiming this had reduced child cycle injuries by 25 per cent.

Updated: 11:01 Wednesday, September 17, 2003