School Travel Plans
The percentage of children travelling to school by car has almost doubled since 1985. This has contributed to an increase in traffic congestion, greater road safety issues outside schools, a decrease in physical activity in terms of walking and cycling to school and alarming increases in child obesity.
School Travel Plans (STP’s) form the main component of the Travelling to School Initiative. This initiative aims to strengthen the partnership between the education, health and transport sectors to ensure improvements in road safety around schools, safer, more enjoyable and more sustainable travel to school, improvements in public health by promoting walking and cycling, and reducing car dependency on the ‘school run.’
An STP provides the means by which individual schools can help achieve these objectives. The Government proposes that every school in England will have an STP by 2010. In Blackpool currently over 75% of schools have Travel Plans in place.
Benefits to the school: A School Travel Plan can help · Reduce congestion and improve access to the school · Free up car parking spaces · Improve your image within the local community · Link in with Healthy Schools status · Link in with Eco Schools status · With OFSTED inspections · Children move around safely · Reduce parking problems around the school · Reduce noise and air pollution · Introduce forward planning in transport issues · Support planning applications to expand or develop the school (eg Building Schools For The Future)
Annual assessment of progress made on implementing measures and target setting.
School Travel Plan Measures include:
- Reduction of congestion around the school entrance through establishment of initiatives to encourage walking such as walking buses
- Education of pupils with regards to sustainable travel, reducing carbon footprints and the importance of regular exercise to lead a fit and healthy life
- Provision of cycle training, cycle parking and other facilities
- Encouragement of car sharing amongst staff by developing a car share buddy system
- Promotion of sustainable travel and its benefits to pupils, parents and staff
- Carrying out annual pupil travel surveys asking how children travel to school and how they would prefer to travel to school
- Highlighting of potential areas around the school where the infrastructure could be improved
For further information on School Travel Plans or to obtain Personal Travel Plan forms for your educational establishment contact a Travel Plan Officer on 01253 476330/476107 or email travel.plans@blackpool.gov.uk.
Links http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/travelplans/ - Department for Transport
www.traveline.org.uk – Public transport journey planner
www.sharedwheels.co.uk – Car sharing website