Tyne and Wear Plan Partners' School Travel Plan Officers work with schools across the Tyne and Wear region to encourage parents and children to consider more healthy and sustainable forms of transport when travelling to and from school. To achieve this, schools are supported in producing a School Travel Plan.
Ideas which can be incorporated into the plan could include:
- Setting up Walking Buses - parent / school supported project for trained parents to escort groups of children to and from school
- Establishing Park and Stride sites - where parents park away from the school gate and walk the rest of the way
- Providing cycle and pedestrian training
- Providing road safety education and resources
- Improving public transport facilities to school sites
What is a School Travel Plan?
It is a written document setting out the practical measures and initiatives for reducing the number of car trips made to school and for improving safety on the school journey.
Why write a School Travel Plan?
Since the early 1980s the proportion of children travelling to school by car has increased dramatically. That means children are getting less exercise and have fewer opportunities to learn about their local neighbourhood and about travelling independently. By working together and developing a School Travel Plan for your school, we can turn this trend around.
Benefits
School Travel Plans can have considerable benefits for schools, pupils, parents and the local environment. Some of these can include:
- Improved fitness of children by increasing walking and cycling as part of the Healthy Schools Standard
- Reduced traffic congestion and pollution near and around the school
- Improved highway safety around the school
- Improved road safety education and awareness for children through pedestrian and cycle training
- Increased parent and child interaction
- Supports schools wanting Safer Routes to School funding bids
- Draws attention to local issues and builds links between schools, parents, the wider community and your local Council
- Allows links to be made with transport operators such as Nexus and the main bus operators
- Gives schools the opportunity to gain grant funding for measures to support the travel planning work
Safe Routes to School
The Safe Routes to School programme brings about the physical measures outside schools that are necessary to support the travel plan - for example, pedestrian crossings, traffic calming measures, school warning signs and guard rail. These measures are normally practical small-scale works, and within a school's locality. They help to support the School Travel Plan and create a safer environment for pupils and parents to walk and cycle to school.
How School Travel Plans link in with Safe Routes to School
Sometimes the physical environment outside a school does not support sustainable modes of transport; for example, a road layout could be unsafe or physical barriers could prevent parents and children walking or cycling to school. In many cases, schools are keen to promote walking through initiatives, campaigns, setting up Walking Buses or Park and Stride sites, but hold back because of safety concerns.
However, writing a School Travel Plan can act as your school's application form for obtaining Safer Routes to School funding. The local council will consider funding physical measures outside the school if these are requested through a School Travel Plan and support the aim of encouraging walking to school, subject to the local Council's criteria.
Building links with the community
The Plan Partners feel it is very important to work with and involve the whole community in the Travel Plan. Many different organisations provide a wide range of services to schools and can support the preparation and implementation of the School Travel Plan.
School Travel Plan Links
Gateshead School Travel Plans
Newcastle School Travel Plans
North Tyneside School Travel Plans
South Tyneside School Travel Plans
Sunderland School Travel Plans
Nexus School Travel Plans
Further Information on walking to school
Ruth Kelly announces £140m investment in cycling
School Travel Advisers
Gateshead
Siobhan Bowery
School Travel Adviser
Tel 0191 4333109
siobhanbowery@gateshead.gov.uk
or
Mrs Terry Fay
School Travel Adviser
Tel 0191 4333161
terryfay@gateshead.gov.uk
Transport and Highways Service
Development and Enterprise
Gateshead Council
Civic Centre
Regent Street
Gateshead
NE8 1HH
Newcastle
Ms Anne Clark
School Travel Adviser
Engineering and Design Services
Fourth Floor
Scottish Life House
2-10 Archbold Terrace
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1BZ
Tel 0191 2115963
anne.clark@newcastle.gov.uk
North Tyneside
Richard Rothwell
School Travel Adviser
Stephenson House
North Shields
NE30 1QA
Tel 0191 2001298
richard.rothwell@northtyneside.gov.uk
South Tyneside
Deborah Crooks
Highways and Transportation
Town Hall and Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields
NE33 2RL
Tel 0191 4247501
deborah.crooks@southtyneside.gov.uk
Sunderland
Hazel Walton
Road Safety Section
Sunderland City Council
Development and Regeneration Directorate
Traffic, Car Parking & Road Safety
P.O. Box 102
Civic Centre
Sunderland
SR2 7DN
Tel 0191 5531525
hazel.walton@sunderland.gov.uk