Has Your School Got A School Travel Plan?

A School Travel Plan sets out a package of measures, which aims to both reduce the number of single occupancy car trips made on the school journey and to encourage more pupils and parents to walk, cycle, car share or use public transport on the journey to and from school. The School Travel Plan also raises awareness about travel issues while educating everyone involved about the reasons why these changes are important.

The DfT/DfES recommend that every school should have a School Travel Plan by the year 2010 and in line with this they have extended the capital grant funding to financial years 2007/2008. The capital grant funding is:

£3,750 plus £5.00 per pupil for primary schools
£5,000 plus £5.00 per pupil for secondary schools
£5,000 plus £5.00 per pupil for special schools

The First Step

The first step in engaging in the School Travel Planning process is to prepare a draft document to demonstrate the school’s commitment to the development of a School Travel Plan.

The draft document should contain detailed information on the background to the school as well as outlining the school’s travel issues and their aims and objectives in developing a School Travel Plan.

It should be accompanied by a ‘hands up’ travel survey of the pupils’ existing travel patterns. This survey provides the baseline data from which the effectiveness of the School Travel Plan can be monitored.

A very important element of the School Travel Planning process is the Working Group. Some thought should be given at this stage to the potential make up of this group. It must contain a member of the school staff and some or all of the following – members of the School Council; representatives from the Governing Body; local councillors; the police PCSO for the area; interested parents; a representative for local residents; and so on – the choice is yours.

The information provided in the draft document is extremely useful as it forms the basis from which the School Travel Plan document is developed. This draft document can be prepared in many ways either with the support of a School Travel Plan Advisor or if schools prefer they can prepare the document using the County Council’s guidance notes.

What Happens Next?

A School Travel Plan Advisor is assigned to every school and it is their role to support and advise the school through every stage in the development of their School Travel Plan.

For more information on the different stages in the development of the School Travel Plan see school travel planning for further details.

If your school would like to join the programme then contact:

Ian Henry – Travel Plan Team Leader on 0191 383 5591

or complete the STP Application Notes.pdf (24 pages, 1792kb) and return to:

Ian Henry
Travel Plan Team
Strategic Traffic Studies
Durham County Council
Environment
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UQ

School Travel Planning