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Hampshire's 'School Travel Plans' logo


Why develop a School Travel Plan?

There are a number of reasons why schools may want to consider how their students, staff, parents/guardians and visitors travel to and from their establishments. These might include:
 

  • Problems with school gate congestion
  • Concerns about safety of students
  • Problems with parking (either on or off-site)
  • Lack of awareness about the benefits of using a range of different travel options
  • Lack of facilities to encourage the use of all modes of transport
  • Concerns about the health of students
  • Changes in school catchment, building size or numbers on roll
  • Concerns about the local environment

Cartoon image of 'No Parking' outside of a school.

If a school has any of these concerns then it is likely that a successfully implemented School Travel Plan can help.Cycling to school image The information that is then gathered through the School Travel Planning process may then assist with completing schools' Self Evaluation Form (SEF).

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is also encouraging schools to produce School Travel Plans and has set local authorities a target for all schools in their areas to have a travel plan by 2010. In a DCSF press release, Schools Minister Stephen Twigg stated that:

“Twice as many children are driven to school now in comparison with 20 years ago – around 40% of primary pupils and 20% of secondary pupils. Most of these journeys are less than 2 miles, meaning decreasing numbers of children walking or cycling with serious health implications in terms of lack of daily exercise and a growing proportion of children who are overweight.

That is why we want to encourage local education authorities to make walking, cycling and bus travel safe, green, healthy options for more schools and their pupils”[1]

There has also been guidance from the DCSF entitled Healthy living blueprint for schools where it is stated that:

“Children should be encouraged to walk or cycle part or all of the way to school wherever this is safe and practical. We expect schools to work with their local authority school travel advisers, and put in place school travel plans that will identify things that schools, pupils, parents, highways and local education authorities can do to reduce car use on the school run – cycle and pedestrian training, secure cycle storage, improved road crossings and cycle paths, traffic calming, ‘park and stride’ facilities, for example.”