This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Road safety awards
24/09/2003
Schools inFifeandEdinburghhave both won top UKawards for their work to encourage more pupils to make safer and healthier travel choices.
Fifecouncil was voted Best Local Authority at the Sustrans UK School Travel Awards. Its work withTorbainPrimary Schoolincluded educating pupils and their parents about travel choices, and creating a safer environment in and around the school by modernising and updating car parks, paths and crossings.
Mrs Lorna Hudson, a teacher from theMaryErskineSchoolinEdinburgh, was voted Best School Champion at the Sustrans School Travel Awards. Mrs Hudson initiated, co-ordinated and implemented the Safe Routes to School (SRS) scheme at the school. This scheme has created a safer environment in and around the school by installing crossings, road safety signs, speed bumps, bike racks and encouraging car sharing and use of shuttle buses and bikes.
Transport Minster Nicol Stephen said:
"It is vital that children learn about road safety and healthy travel choices from an early age through schemes such as these. I am therefore delighted to congratulate theMaryErskineSchooland Mrs Lorna Hudson as well as Fife Council andTorbainPrimary Schoolfor their award-winning innovative school projects.
"These projects not only teach children and parents about potential dangers on our roads helping to make them safer road users. It also encourages more pupils to make safer and healthier travel choices.
"The work undertaken to improve the environment of the each school and the surrounding area will contribute to cutting child casualties on our roads.
"The Executive is committed to cutting the number of deaths and injuries on our roads and has set a target to halve the number of children killed and seriously injured by 2010.
"We are on target to achieve this, with a 38 percent drop in 2002 in the number of children killed or seriously injured compared to the mid-1990s level. Initiatives such as these award winning projects are vital if we are to reach our target."
The Sustrans' project is a community approach to encourage more children to walk and cycle to school safely, improving children's health, improving road safety and reducing child casualties, traffic congestion and pollution.
In March 2003 Sustrans launched theirUK-wideSchoolTravel Awards which highlight the achievement of all the individuals, groups and bodies who have created schemes and projects to improve school travel in their area.
There are ten awards, five for primary schools and five for secondary schools, in the following five categories - Best Safety Improvements for Pedestrians, Best Safety Improvements for Cyclists, Best School Champion, Best School Initiative and Best Local Authority Initiative.
In December 1999 the Scottish Executive published its Guidance Document "How to Run a Safer Routes to School (SRTS) Scheme" which was issued to all schools and local authorities inScotland. Sizeable resources have been put into implementing safer routes to schools schemes, with over £20 million committed to cycling, walking and safer streets projects between 2000 and 2004 and further funding of £1 million per year to local authorities for school travel co-ordinator posts recently announced.
By 2010, the Scottish Executive is committed to a 50 percent reduction in the number of child injuries and deaths from road accidents, compared with the average for 1994-98.