Getting more children to walk to school is the challenge that faces South Devon schools trying to combat obesity problems.
After childhood obesity was flagged up as a severe problem in Britain the need to get more youngsters taking regular exercise is now vital. Torbay MP Adrian Sanders believes it is important to give people incentives to encourage more walking like getting reliable guardians to walk groups of children into school each day.
"The thing is finding people to take on the task of accompanying children on their journey to school rather than parents taking them to school in their cars," said Mr Sanders.
"They have to be reliable and be available every day and have to go through all the proper of security checks.
"Actually finding people to be these guardians is the difficult part of putting the whole thing together, not the money, but it has been successful in other areas.
"It requires somebody who has the time at the beginning and end of each day. It is not an easy thing to find someone who can give that commitment and you need a series of people who can do it.
"There are all sorts of good reasons for this type of scheme including less cars on the road and making children more active which has a number of benefits."
Torbay Council already has an ongoing programme of developing school travel plans.
Last year 30 per cent of pupils were already covered by these plans and it aims to cover all students by 2010.
The council also has a programme of Safer Journeys To School with regard to enhanced crossing sites outside or near schools. Twenty-four sites have been highlighted and more than 88 per cent of these schemes have been completed.
The council works closely with representatives from the primary care trusts to encourage walking and cycling to school as a more healthy pursuit for children, and also has a programme of road safety skills, hazard perception and pedestrian and cycling training.