How to Develop a School Travel Plan
It is not difficult to produce a school travel plan and should
not be too time consuming. A school or its volunteers can produce a
plan with the following information.
At some schools the pupils themselves have drawn up the plan
or at least provided their thoughts and ideas for it. The age of
the pupils involved seems to make little difference, even the
youngest quickly grasp the idea of what a school travel plan hopes
to achieve and has ideas to help.
Getting started
The key elements of a School Travel Plan, which can help to
ensure its success, are:
School champion(s)
A successful School Travel Plan usually depends on the energy,
enthusiasm and commitment of one or two people who champion the
project. They normally take the lead, co-ordinate the initiative
and make the necessary arrangements. They can be a teacher, a
parent, or a governor.
School involvement
It is important that children, staff, parents, governors and
the wider community and perhaps even a local Councilor are involved
in the development of the School Travel Plan to reflect the needs
of all concerned. Ideally they should all be represented on a
working group that will make decisions and take the project
forward.
Eastleigh Borough Council staff are also happy to attend if
required but it is important that the project is lead by the group
not the Council. The plan should reflect the whole school's ideas
of what is required and necessary to ensure the school and its
pupils retain ownership of the completed school travel plan.
The following is a list of suggested contents:
1. Introduction
This can be a description of what a school travel plan is, why
is it needed and how a school hopes a plan will help.
Perhaps the school is required to provide a school travel plan
to comply with planning regulations for future development.
It may also describe how the plan fits into the general ethos
of the school.
2. Brief description of the school
This can include pupil numbers, location, catchment, plans for
future expansion and any other factors affecting travel to
school.
3. Evidence of
consultation
This section needs to include existing methods of transport
used by staff and pupils get to school, and how they would prefer
to travel.
It's a good idea to use a
questionnaire.
If a school wishes, a copy questionnaire can be set up on the
Eastleigh Borough Council web site to enable easy input of the
answers by pupils and quick analysis of the results. This method
has proved popular with pupils and teachers alike. If you
require this facility please contact
Sarah Wallbridge on
023 8068 8280.
It is often also helpful at this stage to map pupils and
staffs journeys to school. This can provide a clear picture of
routes and travel modes currently being used to act as a guide for
possible improvements and initiative ideas.
4. Summary of the school's transport
and road safety problems
This can include key issues for pupils, parents staff,
governors and the wider community such as traffic problems outside
the school gates, reasons for not using alternatives to the
car.
5. Proposed initiatives with
objectives and targets
This will include options for increasing travel awareness,
encouraging sustainable travel modes, ideas for reducing car trips
and car parking and improving road safety.
The list of School Travel Plan Initiatives and Transport and
Highway Improvement Options may give ideas or these can be used as
a starting point from which to develop suggestions that are
individually suited to the school since every school and its
problems is unique.
The most effective School Travel Plans will usually involve a
mixture of measures and initiatives, specific to the individual
school. Not all measures will be immediately achievable and
therefore an action plan of priorities should be prepared.
6. Programme for
implementation
This can include when the proposed steps will be taken by the
school, changes in school rules, who at the school is responsible,
the timescale and what needs to be done by Eastleigh Borough
Council or Hampshire County Council.
7. Plans for monitoring and
review
This section should list how the changes will be monitored,
how these will be reported and a date for review.
Need help?
The school may prefer to carry out the work its self or may
ask for assistance from Eastleigh Borough Council staff who are
happy to come into the school, get the project started and offer
advice and support throughout the process. Help can also be given
with plotting routes to school in the classrooms and in producing
finished computerised plots of these.
All secondary schools in the Eastleigh Borough have
completed their school travel plans and are keen to help
their feeder schools. Ask Eastleigh Borough Council which
schools are prepared to help.
Examples
of published School Travel Plans.
It's as easy as A B C!
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Page Last Updated: 6/6/2007
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