CONTACT Mike Baugh Road Safety Co-ordinator, Bath and North East Somerset Council Email FUNDERS Project part-financed by the European Union LINKS Education Links

safer routes to school

What is it?

· A programme which aims to reduce the need for car travel to and from school by making it easier to walk or cycle instead.

Why should we do it?

· Since 1971, the proportion of 7 & 8year olds walking to school unaccompanied has fallen from 80% to 9% bringing increased
congestion and pollution.

How can we help?

· The project can be initiated by a headteacher, school governor or PTA representative.
· Find out more by reading the information on following pages
· To set up an initial meeting - contact the Road Safety Co-ordinator at Bath and North East Somerset Council: Mike Baugh

What is the process?

· Initial Visit - the road safety co-ordinator will arrange to visit the school himself or arrange for a colleague from envolve to do so.

· Working party - a small working party needs to be set up which may consist of parents, local residents, head, governor, school crossing patrol.

· Travel surveys - to establish current travel patterns, assess desire to change mode of transport and identify concerns over the routes to school.

· Engineering assessment - site visits carried out by engineer to look at concerns raised and propose practical solutions for a draft scheme.

· School Travel Plan - drawing together engineering proposals, educational input, training needs and parental participation. Schools will receive advice and practical assistance in the development of their school travel plan in line with the government’s aim for every school to have a school travel plan by 2010. These are living documents which cover a range of environmental and educational measures which can be taken in order to increase the numbers of children walking, cycling, using public transport or car sharing for the journey to and from.

Schools who complete their school travel plan and have it signed off by the school and the local authority are now eligible for a government grant to spend on capital measures within their school grounds which supports some aspect of that travel plan. For those schools where engineering measures are thought to be appropriate, a bid will be submitted annually by the Road Safety Co-ordinator at B&NES for inclusion in the list of items to be considered for funding through the Local Transport Plan.

· Implementation of scheme - on completion of school travel plan, engineering proposals are put forward for funding from Safer
Routes to School budget as part of B&NES' Local Transport Plan.

· Monitoring and Evaluation - The School Travel Plan is a living document and so will need reviewing year by year as circumstances change

For further information please contact Margot McGinty, Safer Routes to School Officer on 01225 787924 or email Email