A Safer Route To School?
Durham County Council did engage some schools in developing ‘Safer Routes to School’ schemes in the early days of the programme, particularly when there was a heavy emphasis on engineering solutions. Experience has since shown that schemes such as this did little to achieve modal shift; without, that is, complementary encouragement initiatives.
We do still, in effect, carry out some ‘Safer Routes to Schools’ work when appropriate engineering measures are carried out for a school but we prefer to only use the term School Travel Planning. There is good reason for this. School Travel Planning presents a more ‘all-encompassing’ image; it reflects the broader impact of the initiative, influencing as it does environmental issues; health issues; sustainability; independence; and, not forgetting, traffic management and road safety issues.
So, forget ‘Safe Routes to School'’. Think School Travel Planning!
Current Trends
- In 1986 children under 16 made 60% of journeys to school on foot with only 16% of journeys made by car.
- By 1996, journeys on foot had decreased to below 50% and journeys by car had risen to 29%.
- During the same period there was a decline in the use of public transport and cycling numbers had dropped to 1%.
Reasons
- Parents concern of accidents if children are walking and cycling.
- Parents concerns about the personal safety of their child if unaccompanied on the school journey.
- Increase in car ownership with both parents working.
- Parents exercising parental choice creating longer journeys to school.
Consequences
- Increase in peak hour traffic congestion.
- Increase in air pollution around the school.
- Children have less opportunity to develop important life skills such as those associated with road safety and personal safety.
- Lack of regular daily exercise.
- Development of poor travel habits.
- Reduced independence of the child.
For more information on the school travel planning initiative then visit School Travel Planning.
