Encouragement and Enabling
These measures both enable parents and pupils to choose alternative travel options and educate everyone involved about the reasons why these changes are important.
Encouragement and enabling measures are developed to address the specific travel issues of the school. Walking initiatives such as a ‘ Walking Bus’ scheme, ‘Park and Stride’ and ‘Five Minute Walking Zones’ enable parents and pupils to use alternative travel options for all or part of their school journey.
Other initiatives may include ‘Park Away’ campaigns. These campaigns are similar to ‘Park and Stride’ initiatives and encourage parents or carers to park away from the immediate school frontage; the aim being to reduce traffic congestion outside of school, making a safer and more pleasant environment for all pedestrians. An important and integral part of these campaigns is promotion, perhaps by leaflets and posters detailing the many reasons why drivers should consider parking away from the school.
Encouragement is equally important when engineering measures have been implemented. Experience has shown that engineering measures by themselves achieve very little modal shift. Any measures that are carried out must be backed by promotion – perhaps a launch event, followed up by an awareness raising campaign.
