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Safer Routes to School
Safer Routes to School is a project that aims to encourage and enable children to walk or cycle to and from school. This is achieved through the introduction of targeted traffic calming and the creation of safer walking and cycling routes.
The idea is to identify and discuss the problems with the whole school community and the local community, then to work with them to find solutions. A programme of school based education and training programmes supports the project.
Aims:
- To reduce the number of pedestrian and cyclist injuries.
- To improve the safety of the journey to and from schools.
- To reduce the number of car trips to and from schools.
- To encourage walking and cycling to and from schools.
- To educate children to cope with their local road environment.
- To work with the community to create an environment which is safer for all.
- To introduce engineering measures to reduce vehicle speeds and to create a safe environment around the school.
The measures proposed to achieve these aims are identified and included within a school travel plan. Partnerships formed between pupils, staff, parents, governors, the wider community and the local authority assist in the development and implementation of objectives within the travel plan. The school travel plan can include many ideas and initiatives such as:
Walking
- 'Walking Bus'
- personal/road safety training
- 'Walk to School' campaigns
- alternative entry points
- identify safer alternative walking and cycling routes
- develop and create 'safe routes'
- maps of safer routes
- marking safer routes
Cycling
- secure visible storage
- bike lockers & showers
- cycling safety education
- permits, policies & allowances
- cycle maintenance training
- cycle training/proficiency
- lockers for helmets etc.
- alternative entry/access points
- improved lighting around cycle storage
- safer cycling routes
Promoting use of Bus & Rail
- concessionary fares
- parental escorts
- provide improved information
- driver & customer training
- private minibuses
- consultation with bus company
Road Safety Training & Education
- road safety training - cycling & walking & presentations
- parent escort training
- cycle helmet promotion initiative
- road safety curriculum work
- Junior Road Safety Officer (JRSO) scheme
Classroom Work
- safe route planning/map work in geography
- bike storage design in CDT
- poster and decorative design in art
- survey analysis in maths & computing
- health benefit analysis & environmental consequences in science
- theatre in education
- writing letters & reports in English
- health and citizenship in PSHE
- GNVQ 6th form research projects
- in school awareness campaigns: competitions, posters, songs, jingles, brochures, leaflets, newsletters, web page design, displays, presentations
Involving Parents
- family cycle training
- road safety fashion show
- exploring routes to school
- volunteer trainers
- shared journeys by car
- shared journeys
- walking bus escorts
Highway and Traffic engineering measures
- introduction of appropriate speed limits on the highway network throughout the city
- at school sites reduce the speed limit to 20mph
- improve pedestrian crossing points, especially at sites where pupils have identified their preferred route to school
- build speed reducing features such as road humps, junction tables, speed cushions, chicanes and pedestrian refuges to reinforce the reduced speed limits
- cycle lanes & tracks
- improved street lighting on busy road and quiet paths
The work carried out for Safer Routes to Schools and School Travel Plans, also links in with the Healthy Schools initiative.
For further information about School Travel Plans and how your school could become involved in planning Safer Routes to School, please contact Amber Kerens Bathmaker on 023 9284 1637 or e-mail: amber.kerens-bathmaker@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
Associated documents:
Sustainable School Travel Strategy (0.51 MB)
