Archived decisions
Hampshire County Council Executive Member - Environment 16 July 2002 Safer Routes to School and School Travel Plan Programme 2002/03 Report of the County Surveyor |
Item 15 |
Contact: Tim Cheesebrough, ext 7114/Philippa Currie, ext 6947
1. Summary
1.1 The following decision is sought:
That the Safer Routes to School infrastructure programme for the 2002/03 financial year be approved.
2. Reason
2.1 In the transport capital programme for 2002/03 a sum of £500,000 has been allocated to Safer Routes to School measures across Hampshire. This programme is intended to deliver measures that do not otherwise specifically feature within a separate Transport Strategy Area programme. The decision is sought to enable works to be undertaken to deliver that programme.
3. Other Options Considered and Rejected
3.1 Not to undertake the programme.
4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - none.
5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable.
6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - not applicable.
Approved by: Date:
Councillor K B Estlin
7. Background - School Travel Plans
7.1 In order to deliver the County Council's programmes of Safer Routes to School measures and associated School Travel Plans, as outlined in the Hampshire Local Transport Plan (2001-06) (LTP), work has commenced to help promote and develop Travel Plans in schools. Resulting partnership arrangements have been set up with a number of schools to identify measures to improve safety and encourage travel by a range of modes. The ambitious target set out in Hampshire's LTP is that all schools are to have had an opportunity to develop a comprehensive Travel Plan by the completion of the 2003/04 financial year. By April 2002, of 150 schools contacted (nearly a third of Hampshire's educational establishments) 26 had developed a School Travel Plan and 21 were in the process of developing one. The post of County Council School Travel Plan Coordinator is funded by a three year Department for Transport bursary.
7.2 The County Council is committed to reaching the 2010 child travel targets set out in its Road Traffic Reduction Act Report (2000), namely reducing the proportion of car journeys to school by 20% and reducing fatal and serious child casualties by 50%. These targets underpin the basis upon which Travel Plans are being developed in partnership with Hampshire schools. Any infrastructure issues emerging from School Travel Plans are then assessed for possible funding through this county-wide Safer Routes to School Infrastructure Programme or through individual Transport Strategy Area programmes. Engineering works that provide safer and more attractive pedestrian and cycle routes to schools or the potential for increased passenger transport use are considered for funding alongside other non-infrastructure initiatives, such as Walking Buses, cycle and pedestrian training and other curricular programmes, that schools can implement as initiatives with support as appropriate from the County Council.
8. The Safer Routes to School Programme
8.1 The 2000/01 Safer Routes to School programme delivered £0.3 million of infrastructure measures, mainly footway improvements. In 2001/02 this rose to £1.13 million spread across Hampshire's 10 Transport Strategy Areas, providing infrastructure measures for some 53 schools. The programme allocation for 2002/03 is £0.5 million countrywide in addition to some £0.5 million within the Transport Strategy Area allocations. This report concentrates on the allocation of the £0.5 million programme outside the defined Transport Strategy Area programmes. As outlined in the Capital Programme report to the Executive Member for Environment on 25 January 2002, it is intended that this sum will be increased annually during the LTP period.
8.2 This Safer Routes to School infrastructure budget sum is in addition to any casualty justified infrastructure works to treat locations of high child casualty risk, as identified through Hampshire Constabulary personal injury accident data. As outlined in the LTP, the Safer Routes to School infrastructure programme will be county-wide, with a clear priority towards schools who already have, or are in the process of developing, a School Travel Plan. It is anticipated that as the programme of School Travel Plan development grows, there may be more plans identifying a greater need for infrastructure improvements than can be implemented by the support funding available. Therefore measures will be further prioritised at that stage against a range of factors, including their likely ability to achieve a marked modal shift in favour of walking, cycling and passenger transport use.
8.3 In addition to specific infrastructure measures identified through partnership working with schools towards the preparation of published Travel Plans, there is a need to foster a climate of innovation throughout schools to identify and implement measures, sometimes of a relatively minor nature, that schools, parents and children believe would make a difference. It is therefore proposed to set aside an initial sum of some £20,000 to provide a `challenge' fund for schools. This will enable schools to achieve matched funding in order to introduce transport-related measures mainly outside the highway, such as improved cycle parking, lockers or pedestrian access facilities, where it can be demonstrated that a Travel Plan would be likely to prove more effective with the provision of those measures. This may well also provide a catalyst for other schools, not yet committed to a programme of Travel Plan development, to consider what benefits this approach might offer them.
8.4 As a number of schools are currently in the early stages of preparing Travel Plans, it is considered that the £0.5 million allocation should not be fully committed at this stage. This would permit any pressing infrastructure measures not currently identified to be accommodated later in the current programme. The proposed reserved sum is £50,000.
9. School Crossing Patrols
9.1 In a separate but closely related programme of work, a comprehensive risk assessment has been undertaken of all existing school crossing patrol sites in Hampshire. This formed part of the transfer of the service from the County Education Department to the Environment Grouping which took place in April 2002. These assessments have identified a number of operational sites where there is a need to consider infrastructure improvements to offer improved crossing safety to children, parents or carers and the County Council's crossing patrol officers. This service has made a significant contribution to the County Council's child travel aims and targets, including the encouragement of walking journeys to and from school, and will continue to do so.
9.2 Although a number of infrastructure matters identified are of a routine maintenance nature, there are several sites where the scale of the improvements to be considered is more significant and the measures can be implemented as a capital programme scheme. Such sites are being prioritised according to the levels of crossing activity, traffic flows and speeds. It is suggested therefore that a separate allocation be made from within this Safer Routes to School programme to enable a number of these measures to be implemented in 2002/03.
9.3 It is anticipated that the programme of treating all such sites in a prioritised order may take some two to three years to complete, but a sum of £50,000 should permit up to 10 sites to be treated during 2002/03. Likely measures would include improved signing and carriageway surface markings and surface treatments, together with local footway improvements and the provision of dropped kerbs with tactile paving where such measures do not currently exist.
10. Proposed Programme
10.1 Appendix 1 outlines the proposed Safer Routes to School Infrastructure Programme for 2002/03. Appendix 2 outlines Safer Routes to School measures being funded by the Transport Strategy Area programmes in 2002/03 and by District Council and other sources. Appendix 3 outlines the Safer Routes to School schemes not yet completed from the 2001/02 programme and therefore brought forward to the 2002/03 financial year.
Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers | |
The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report. | |
NB the list excludes: | |
1. |
Published works. |
2. |
Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act. |
TITLE |
LOCATION |
None |
7197/TLC
APPENDIX 1
Proposed 2002/03 Safer Routes to School Infrastructure Programme
School name and description of works |
District and Transport Strategy Area |
Status of School Travel Plan |
Estimated Cost of works |
Call on 2002/03 Programme |
Bordon Infant (I) and Junior (J) Schools - pathway at side of school needs re-tarmacing |
East Hampshire DC CHARTS |
Travel survey completed |
£5,000 |
£5,000 |
Bransgore Primary - new signs needed, walking bus, footpaths need clearing, School Crossing Patrol/Junction improvements |
New Forest DC NFTS |
Survey of who would participate in walking bus |
£15,000 |
£15,000 |
Crookham J and Tweseldown I Schools, Church Crookham. Investigation into possible measures |
Hart DC NEHTS |
Working with the County Council to develop plan |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Copythorne Infants - road surface/ footways/signage improvements |
New Forest DC NFTS |
Travel assessment completed 2001 |
£10,000 |
£10,000 |
Fairfields Infant, Havant - near access to school and ramp to be developed. Hayling Billy route - school frontage to be improved/school signage, etc |
Havant BC SEHTS |
Survey completed |
£10,000 |
£10,000 |
Fair Oak Junior - public footpath 1a Dean Road/Allington Lane, footpath improvements (request from Rights of Way (ROW) and Parish Council) |
Eastleigh BC SWHTS |
To be developed (Eastleigh Borough Council involved) |
£5,000 |
£5,000 |
Frogmore Community and Potley Hill Primary Schools - new signs, moving guard rail and improvements to cycle crossing |
Hart DC NEHTS |
County Council working with schools to develop School Travel Plan |
£50,000 |
£50,000 |
APPENDIX 2
2002/03 Safer Routes to Schools Infrastructure Programme - Other Funding
Transport Policy Area Strategy Capital Programme - SRTS allocations:
BEST - £100,000 (plus £150,000 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Capital Programme)
SWHTS - Romsey £200,000 and Eastleigh £200,000
WHTS - £30,000
School name and description of works |
District and Transport Strategy Area |
Status of School Travel Plan |
Estimated Cost of works |
Source of funding |
Oakridge I and J School, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council BEST |
Travel survey complete. BDBC to assist with development of plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Woolton Hill I and J School |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
Travel survey complete. County Council to assist school with development of plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Kings Furlong I and J School, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
BDBC to assist in developing travel plan and survey |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Sherborne St John Primary School - Possible 20 mph school safety zone |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
BDBC to assist with travel survey and plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Bishopswood I and J Schools, Tadley |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
County Council to assist with development of travel plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Manor Field I and J School, Brighton Hill, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
BDBD to assist with development of travel plan/survey |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Chineham Park School, Chineham, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
Travel survey completed - part of comprehensive Popley School Travel Plan developed by W S Atkins for the County Council |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Hatch Warren I and J Schools, Basingstoke. Improved crossing points, lighting and footways at back of school |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
BDBC to assist with development of travel plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Marnel I and Merton J Schools, Popley, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
Part of WSA Popley composite travel plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
Oakley School |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
BDBC to assist with development of travel plan |
To be confirmed |
BDBC/BEST |
St John the Baptist CE Primary School, Abshot Road/Hunts Pond Road, Fareham |
Fareham BC SEHTS |
None |
£100,000 (externally funded) |
SEHTS |
Brookfield School, Brook Lane, Fareham - traffic calming |
Fareham BC SEHTS |
None |
£50,000 (externally funded) |
SEHTS |
Halterworth Primary and Mountbatten Schools |
Test Valley BC SWHTS |
Developing travel plans with the County Council |
£200,000 |
SWHTS |
Eastleigh Schools (Crestwood, Wyvern, Hamble and Merden) |
Eastleigh BC SWHTS |
Yes (all) |
£200,000 |
SWHTS |
Shipton Bellinger Primary School - school safety zone |
Test Valley BC WHTS |
None |
£5,000 |
WHTS |
Clatford CE Primary School, Goodworth Clatford |
Test Valley BC WHTS |
None |
£5,000 |
WHTS |
King's Somborne CE Primary School |
Test Valley BC WHTS |
None |
£10,000 |
WHTS |
Hatherden CE Primary School |
Test Valley BC |
None |
£5,000 |
WHTS |
Test Valley School, Stockbridge |
Test Valley BC WHTS |
Working on travel plan with the County Council |
£5,000 |
WHTS |
Westgate School, Winchester - three build-outs on Cheriton Road |
Winchester CC WMAP |
None |
£15,000 |
WMAP |
APPENDIX 3
2001/02 Safer Routes to School Infrastructure Programme
Schemes to be carried forward to 2002/03
School name and description of works |
District and Transport Strategy Area |
Status of School Travel Plan |
Estimated Cost of works |
Harrow Way School, Andover - two splitter islands on Tollgate Road |
Test Valley BC ATS |
Developing a travel plan |
£10,000 |
Cranbourne School, Basingstoke - Harrow Way Toucan and cycle route to school |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
In progress |
£90,000 |
St Bede's School, Popley, Basingstoke |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
Part of Copley-wide travel plan undertaken by WS Atkins |
£10,000 (Externally funded) |
Preston Candover School - improvements to footways |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
None |
£2,000 |
Whitchurch Schools |
Basingstoke and Deane BC BEST |
WS Atkins looking at travel plan |
£66,000 (Externally funded) |
Colden Common Primary School -resurfacing footways to school |
Winchester CC CHARTS |
None |
£5,000 |
Cheriton Primary School - footways and millennium walkway to school |
East Hampshire DC CHARTS |
None |
£5,000 |
Andrew's Endowed C/E Primary, Holybourne - improve crossing outside school and new piece of footway across grass |
East Hampshire DC CHARTS |
To be completed by July 2002 |
£5,000 |
Pennington and Priestlands Schools, Lymington (North Street) - part of wider scheme |
New Forest DC CTTS |
None |
£10,000 |
Crookham CE Infant School - Gally Hill Road school safety zone; part of wider scheme |
Hart DC NEHTS |
None |
£10,000 |
Charles Kingsley School, Eversley - new footway to school |
Hart DC NEHTS |
None |
£30,000 |
Northfield Road Ringwood - top-up for 2000/01 scheme |
New Forest DC NFTS |
None |
£15,000 |
Bay House School/Privett Road/Browndown Road Toucan crossing |
Gosport BC SEHTS |
None |
£20,000 |
Brockhurst School, Gosport - Avery Lane school zone |
Gosport BC SEHTS |
None |
£25,000 |
Alverstoke and Bayhouse Schools - Anglesea Gardens and St Helen's Road cycletracks |
Gosport BC SEHTS |
None |
£10,000 and £35,000 |
Western School, Winchester - improved signing and dropped kerbs |
Winchester CC WMAP |
None |
£22,000 |
Kings School, Winchester - Sarum Road measures |
Winchester CC WMAP |
None |
£8,000 |