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School Travel Plan - Definitions

More information on each of the highlighted phrases

Initiative Overload!

There is some good news! Producing and implementing a School Travel Plan will fulfill the criteria for the Transport Topic of the Eco Schools Scheme. Many of the initiatives that you could choose to implement as part of a School Travel Plan will also be included as part of Health Promoting or Active Schools e.g. walking schemes, cycle schemes, parking campaigns etc. Enterprise in Education could also be linked with School Travel Plans if, for example, pupils are involved in submitting bids for funding for sustainable travel schemes such as cycle storage or shelters, or if they establish businesses to sell safety equipment to pupils like cycle helmets, reflectors or high visibility clothing.

School Travel Team

A School Travel Team can be made up of staff, pupils, parents and community representatives. They will gather the information for the School Travel Plan and help with implementing the schemes identified for their school.

The Hands Up travel survey

The Hands Up travel survey a simple form of survey where children indicate how they have travelled to school on that particular day. Aberdeen City Council currently asks each school to do this type of survey on a specific day in September. Schools can use these survey results to update their own Travel Plan and see if their initiatives are having a positive effect on school travel. When beginning the process of writing a Travel Plan a more detailed questionnaire is usually used to allow for in-depth responses particularly about areas of concern. Your contacts in Aberdeen City Council can help with the format of the questionnaire and with its printing.

Traffic Management

Traffic Management issues are those relating to roads and pavements and any construction or signing that would affect the flow of traffic such as speed humps, pelican crossings, warning signs, dipped kerbs and safety barriers. The cost of these types of engineering schemes varies considerably from a few hundred pounds to dip a kerb to schemes that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. When beginning a Travel Plan it is usual to get feedback from parents about the school journey. In some cases there may be a particular concern or improvement that is highlighted by many people. If this is the case and there is evidence that some alteration would considerably enhance the safety of pupils and encourage an increase in walking and cycling this should be articulated in the Travel Plan. At the same time it should be noted that funding is limited and that initiatives such as pedestrian training can have a far faster effect on improving safety and provide skills that are transferable.

Walking Bus

A Walking Bus is the name given to a group of young children who walk to school escorted by parents. A walking bus is a formal way of walking to school that has a set-off time and then may pick up children at designated points on the route at pre-arranged times. Parents of the children who walk usually take it in turns to walk with the bus but, with sufficient numbers, would only have to walk on some of the days. There should be two or more parent escorts each day who have a register and list of emergency contacts. Escorts should also be police checked and both escorts and pupils should be trained on the risks of the route and safe practice. Aberdeen City Council or Grampian Police will be able to advise on routes. Concerns about litigation often come up when considering Walking Buses and they can be covered through PTA insurance schemes. Quite often though when all the children using the Walking Bus have a parent that is an escort for the Walking Bus this would not be necessary because they would all agree on the route to be taken and the behaviour required even if they did not walk each day. Children receive multiple benefits from a Walking Bus such as:

  • Exercise
  • Companionship
  • Experience of road use
  • Punctuality
  • Awareness of the local environment
  • Preparation for independent walking

Walk to School Events and Schemes

Walk to School Events and Schemes tend to have the greatest impact on increasing numbers of pupils walking.

  1. Walk to School Week - there are two national walk to school weeks each year, one in May and one in October. Aberdeen City Council may have resources for your school like travel diaries, stickers and posters. They will also help with ideas to promote the event like trying to walk the distance from Lands End to John 'O Groats by adding up all the miles walked by the pupils in that week. Walk to School Week is also a good way to start a long term walking scheme in school because there will be a lot of publicity for the national event.
  2. International Walk to School Day - a day in October when your school can join with pupils all around the world walking to school.
  3. Walk on Wednesday - a way of keeping the walking message going throughout the year. Particularly useful for schools who for whatever reason have high rates of car use. Parents might be able to make the effort to walk with their child one day a week or drop them at a friend's house so that they can walk together. You could always raise the number of walking days if the scheme proves successful.
  4. Walking Initiatives are a way of rewarding pupils for walking. Pupils can have pass cards which are stamped when they walk. After a certain number of stamps a reward is achieved. Local businesses could provide rewards e.g. badges or pencils, free or subsidised swimming sessions could be sourced or 10 minutes extra play time awarded.

Practical Pedestrian Training

Practical Pedestrian Training has been found to be the most effective way of reducing child pedestrian accidents. This involves taking children out to the roadside and teaching them how to deal with various crossing situations that they are likely to encounter. Grampian Police Road Safety Team can tailor this to each school and age group, from holding hands and staying back from the kerb for nursery children to getting a bus to your new Secondary School. Schools will need to provide staff or parent volunteers to go out with the Road Safety Staff and pupils and follow up class work or homework will help to re-enforce the training.
Aberdeen City Council also runs a practical pedestrian training scheme called Kerbcraft funded by the Scottish Government that concentrates on training children age 5-7 at the schools in areas with the highest accident levels. If you wish to know more about this scheme contact Aberdeen City Council and ask for the Child Pedestrian Training Co-ordinator.

School Crossing Patrols

School Crossing Patrols can help make a child's journey to school safer but it is still always the responsibility of a parent to make sure a child gets to school safely. Eligibility for a crossing patroller is based on number of vehicles and number of children crossing. If you feel that you have a position that may be eligible especially if numbers walking have increased due to your school promoting walking you can ask for a position to be surveyed. If there is currently a Patroller consider whether the times are suitable and if activities like after school clubs affect when children are crossing. Contact Aberdeen City Council School Crossing Patrol Supervisor for more information.
If you have a School Crossing Patroller at your school ask them if they would like to come in and talk to the pupils about their job and uniform and how to cross safely with them. If patrollers are willing to do this there may be payment provision for giving talks in their schools.
Finally let the School Crossing Patrol Supervisor know if you have any great ideas for recruiting Lollipop people because there are always posts needing filled.

On-road Cycle Training

On-road Cycle Training like practical pedestrian training is a very effective way to learn about cycling safely. Road Safety staff from Grampian Police provide training and all the resources needed but the school must find staff or parent volunteers to run the courses. Courses begin with some training about parts of the bike followed with handling skills in the playground before progressing onto suitable roads around the school. These courses are usually run in P6 or P7 but courses could be adapted for secondary pupils or staff.

Cycle Maintenance

Cycle maintenance courses are often run by cycle shops. They may charge for these but might consider it worth doing for free publicity. This could be run as part of a school course or as an after school or lunch club.

Cycle Permit

Cycle Permit schemes can be used to monitor numbers and behaviour of pupils taking bikes to school. It may be felt necessary to allocate permits if a school is short of secure cycle storage facilities or if there is concern about inappropriate use of bikes in and around the school. Permits for secure storage spaces could be allocated to those pupils who agree to abide by the school cycling code.

Cycle Events

Cycle Events can be organised at school as part of a Health Week or to support National Bike Week (June each year).

Cycling Code

A Cycling Code is more common than a Cycle Permit scheme. It is simply a list of rules that the school expects pupils who ride to school to conform to. The type of rules could include no cycling in the playground, lock up your bike, use a helmet etc.

Making Roads Safer

Making Roads Safer around schools has been a priority for many years and most schools now have some type of 20 mph system in place as well as various warning signs and parking restrictions. Some schools also have safety rails, protected crossings or markings on the roads. If you have concerns about the area around your school and your School Travel Plan indicates that alterations will enhance safety and increase walking and cycling, the practicality of alterations will be considered by Aberdeen City Council's Traffic Management team.

Trails marked on pavements

Any Trails marked on pavements or markings on roads need Local Council approval and in the case of road markings must conform to Government regulations. It is easier to put markings within the school grounds indicating crossing points or exits that separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicles for example.

Car Sharing

Car Sharing schemes can be useful if a lot of pupils travel from a distance away or if staff travel in from the same areas. Car sharing can be done on an informal basis by just making lists of interested people available so drivers can contact each other. If the school is large with very many drivers it might be worth using a car share data base. Contact Aberdeen City Council for further information about this.

Park and Stride

Park and Stride schemes cater for pupils who would normally be driven to school. Instead pupils are driven to a location away from the school (supermarket car park, leisure centre car park, etc.) and walk to school from there. There are a number of advantages of such a scheme:

  • Pupils who would normally be driven all the way to school now get some exercise on the journey
  • Pupils who would normally be driven can participate in school walking events
  • Removing vehicles from around the school improves pedestrian and cycle safety as well as air quality.

Road Safety research indicates that children are not likely to be safe to Walk Independently until around the age of eight (although this will vary with the child and might be older in some cases). This is because, prior to this, children do not judge speeds and distances very well and are too easily distracted. Of course the complexity of school journeys will vary and the only way to know how your child deals with their journey is to walk with them. As time goes on you could try holding back and watch them cross themselves.

Police Support

Police Support can be very useful in making travel to school safer. Traffic Police can help with concerns about speeding. When concerns arise regarding parking on double yellow lines or zigzag markings this is the responsibility of Aberdeen City Council Community Wardens who now have the power to issue tickets that impose fines and can lead to penalty points being imposed on licenses. Their resources are of course limited but the occasional visit at the appropriate time of day by police with speed cameras or Parking Wardens re-enforced with letters home or posters can prevent road users becoming complacent. The Road Safety Team provide pedestrian and cycle training but will also visit schools to do "Be Safe Be Seen" talks or get involved in school Health weeks. The local Police Officer will also be able to visit schools to talk about "Stranger Danger" issues. For older pupils and staff a number of Charity Organisations offer presentations on personal Safety.

Useful Web Sites

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