Walking Bus Case Study
Walking Bus at Pease's West Primary School
Pease's West Primary School is located in the village of Billy Row, near Crook. The school serves the immediate communities of Billy Row, Roddymoor and Grahamsley; however, several children come from further afield by parental choice e.g. from Crook, Oakenshaw, Stanley and other villages. This has resulted in parents making these longer journeys by car, taxi or public service bus both morning and afternoon.At peak times this often leads to serious congestion problems around the village green and on the main road, the B6298, which runs through the village. The situation is made worse by the location of a shop, which has recently incorporated the village Post Office, on the corner of the lane leading along to the school. This shop is open from 6.00am to 10.00pm. Customers arriving by car on their way to work stop for daily papers or purchases. Vehicles delivering to the shop also compound the problem of visibility and congestion.
The school was one of the first schools in the Durham and Dales PCT to be awarded the Healthy School Award and has a strong environmental and health ethos within the school. Led by a member of the school staff the school runs a very popular and well attended after-school walking club. Pupils are taken on walks around the local area and visit places of interest. The school also regularly participates in Walk to School Week. The school had previously encouraged parents to drop off their children at designated dropping off points and staff members escorted pupils on a walking bus for the remainder of the journey to school.
At the School Travel Planning Working Group meeting the group identified a package of measures to support and encourage levels of walking within the school. These included physical improvements and, encouragement and enabling initiatives; one of which was to explore the feasibility of setting up a walking bus. The travel questionnaire revealed that almost 70% of pupils lived under 1km away from school however over 50% were transported by car. A leaflet was distributed to parents and the response was very positive, with many parents agreeing to allow their child or children to participate and adult volunteers offering to escort the bus.
Following training for the adults, and a risk assessment of the route being completed by the Road Safety Team at Durham County Council, the walking bus was launched. The bus follows a specific route collecting children on route.
