Scottish Government

SAFELY TO SCHOOL: A STUDY OF SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOL IN THE CLASSROOM

APPENDICES

APPENDIX ONE

Examples of SRTS activities

• Established a 'School Safety Team' comprising School Board members, local authority representatives, teachers and two pupils.
• Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs) formed part of the School Safety Team and aimed to represent the views of pupils regarding road safety at the school.
• Parents consulted on their views on road safety through a survey and discussions at a parents' evening.
• School Safety Team developed options for improving road safety, including developing: one safe cycle route; two safe walking routes; a walking bus; and installing bicycle sheds. The bicycle sheds have been provided and are already in use and potential is being explored for establishing a safe cycle route and installing road safety measures such as speed tables.

Local issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• Pupils indicated preference for walking or cycling to school, but felt that some parts of their route were not safe, and hence that the school should have more projects and activities on road safety.
• Teachers felt that local Road Safety Unit was responsible for road safety education, and that within the curriculum other demands on pupil and teacher time only allowed for passing coverage. Therefore, pupil education on any new road safety measures will most likely be provided by the Road Safety Unit.
• JRSOs had initially been reticent in coming forward with ideas and views of their peers. May require careful selection and training.
• This case study highlights the importance of committed and enthusiastic partners (in this case - teachers, School Board and the local Road Safety Officer) working together with shared aims.

Examples of SRTS activities

• School Travel Plan developed with parents, teachers and local community.
• Walking Bus established in February 2002, and route chosen to maximise participation. Road Safety Officer checked the route and small physical improvements were made.
• School then became interested in broader teaching of road safety and encouraging walking and cycling to school, including adapting its Cycle Proficiency programme conditional on certain physical improvements to the entrance to the school.
• Speed limit of 20 mph has been introduced outside the school between 8.40 and 9.10am, and 2.55 and 3.15pm.

Local issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• School became involved in the Safer Routes to School programme following concern about heavy traffic on the main road, and parents and teachers parking on the main road.
• Lack of volunteers to supervise the Walking Bus meant the Co-ordinator had to act as supervisor (or conductor). However, once established, response from parents became more positive and enough volunteers emerged for the Bus to continue beyond pilot phase.
• Pupils very enthusiastic about the Walking Bus. Enjoyed talking to their friends, walking with a large group, getting fresh air and feeling healthy. Also reported learning about road safety on their way to school.
• Parents also supportive of the Walking Bus due to children's enjoyment and increased awareness of road safety. Reported that their children were getting more exercise and were keener to go to school.
• Enthusiasm of children and commitment of headteacher seen by the local Road Safety Officer as key factors in keeping the project running after the pilot period.
• Walking Bus Co-ordinator believes that school has been successful in establishing a walking bus but still requires ongoing support from a Co-ordinator and regular effort to maintain interest of children to sustain the project.
• Turnover of personnel can be a problem: Walking Bus Co-ordinator has moved to a different post within the council. Has taken with her some of the responsibility for running the project.
• Road Safety Unit and Community Safety Unit have applied for Safer Routes to School funding, which would enable them to continue work on developing and implementing School Travel Plans and Walking Bus projects.

Examples of SRTS activities

• School Safety Team created in 2000, comprised of School Board members, local Road Safety Officer, local authority engineering department representative, headteacher, school janitor, and local police. Also received input from Junior Road Safety Officers. Team co-ordinates innovations and helps to maintain coherency in line with SRTS targets.
• Current emphasis of Team on engineering measures to promote safety. Curriculum based SRTS work does occur but this is mainly general road safety awareness and cycling proficiency training with complementary classroom work.
• Safer Routes To School seen to articulate with wider health promotion efforts, hence efforts made to further promote walking to school and cycling for P6 and older pupils (eg Walk to school week).
• Working with local engineering department, School Safety Team has developed a series of action points addressing road safety and engineering around the school. These included: alterations to local road signs; vehicular access to the school; safety fencing along side roads. Team also eager to consider speed cameras, but local police said to be reluctant to introduce them.
• Team intends to bid for Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) funding for two Pedestrian Skills Co-ordinators to teach P1 and P2 pupils key skills concerning Safer Routes to School. This development is being informed by SUSTRANS innovations and findings of the Scottish School Travel Advisory Group (SSTAG) report. An expansion of volunteers to support the work of the Team is also sought.
• Pupil and parent questionnaires used to assess impact of initiatives, but would also like to evaluate the impact of recent developments in a more systematic and robust way (ie pre- and post-intervention studies), to introduce more cost-effective ways to develop Safer Routes to School.
• Road Safety Officer stressed that all future work would be informed by local needs and operate within Scottish Executive guidelines.

Local issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• Recent pedestrianisation of town centre has increased volume of traffic along roads around school and routes used by children to travel to school.
• Ninety per cent of pupils walk or cycle to school and school is focusing on remainder transported by car, to encourage parents (mainly of nursery children and younger pupils) to avoid congestion at school gate and entrance to car park. The local RSO believes that it is important to use education to challenge the culture of car use among those families that lived close to the school.
• Compared to other schools the proportion of pupils who cycle to school was felt to be relatively high.
• Initially, responsibility for much of road safety education rested with the education department but School Safety Team saw these efforts as 'not effective and not based on consultation with other departments and schools'. Team also feel that building SRTS into curriculum is 'time-consuming', faces competing priorities, and requires continual support of teachers.
• Raised red-coloured right-of-way road markings indicating 'safer' locations for pedestrians to cross busy roads now felt to be creating a 'false sense of security and confidence among children'. Also 'many car users were not aware of the significance of such markings'.
• School Safety Team stressed the importance of gaining co-operation of school and teachers, and of building links with other councils to look at good practice elsewhere. Team, and the local Road Safety Officer in particular, stressed need for more communication, given the range of organisations and bodies involved.
• Road Safety Officer believed that the expansion of SRTS work had management implications for her post given that the range of projects would increase. Future management should be the responsibility of more than one department.
• Road Safety Officer noted that take-up of Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) funding across the Authority was good, with many schools showing an interest in SRTS work. However, such funding would have to continue if current developments were to be successful.
• Team believed that a key component of road crossing measures at busy times needed to be the presence of a supervising adult such as a 'lollypop' person.

Examples of SRTS activities

• Road Safety Charter Award built into school's development plan, and requires school to implement content to a satisfactory standard. Wanted Awards to be a sustained programme built into year plans and run as appropriate over the long term.
• Award programme articulates with 5-14 Curriculum and also aims to improve pupils' overall physical activity, by promoting walking and cycling.
• Award programme design is negotiated with the school and is integrated into curriculum, particularly health. Adaptations to 'suit what happens in the village and reflects their experiences and any local accidents that happen' have already been made, with local accident statistics, local traffic and road issues used to inform the content of the schools' road safety teaching. For example:

• - Not wearing seatbelts when travelling to and from school

  - Horseplay and disorder on school buses, influencing pupils' general safety

  - Fast moving traffic on the main road adjacent to the school

  - Young male pupils more likely to take risks around roads - 'playing chicken'.

• Range of teaching approaches used, including quizzes, poster designs, project work with local maps, etc, to involve pupils.
• Teachers use links with local Road Safety Team to investigate other resources. Tailored resources from the award programme are used, along with specific guidance documentation.
• School notice boards keep everyone informed of initiatives/developments.
• School has provided cycling proficiency training, both in lesson time and as an after-school activity with the assistance of parents.
• 'Peddle and Park' scheme implemented, to enable pupils to secure their bikes at school - bike locks were provided by the local authority to pupils who passed their cycling proficiency test.
• Junior Road Safety Officers being trained to provide peer tutoring and input to the school's efforts to promote road safety.

Local issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• Main road through village passes directly in front the main entrance to the school, and is extremely busy.
• Limited parking space for parents and school buses means they use space along the road side.
• Role of Road Safety Team in providing advice is seen by teachers as a facilitating factor in the Award's success.
• Parental education is seen as a key aspect for developing pupils' safety. Parents are seen as part of safer routes homework, and are targeted with literature and school events.
• Teachers note that as some pupils get older they think that the road safety topic is not 'cool', although they still actively engage with the interesting lessons and activities.
• Pupils critical of reflective cycle-safety clothing provided by projects. These are seen as "too baggy and not cool". Pupils would prefer adult styles and want an input into the design of these garments.
• P7 males recognise the importance of safety helmets and clothing but some feel it is "not cool to wear these".

Examples of SRTS activities

• As a result of busy main roads and accidents in the immediate vicinity, the school has participated in various campaigns and initiatives designed to promote road safety awareness among parents and pupils.
• Promotion of cycling as a safe and healthy way of getting to school. Campaign included pupils sending questionnaires about road safety to parents, surveying parents outside the school, and producing their own road safety newsletter and leaflets. Pupils recommendations from their research were presented to the council, and included:

• - The positioning a nearby pedestrian crossing be altered.

  - 'Keep Clear' markings were introduced outside the school.

  - New crossings be installed to accommodate bicycles.

  - Cycle racks should be provided at the school.

• Work with local Road Safety Unit to promote walking to school as a healthy and safe option. This led to a project for fifteen S3 pupils in which they walked to school for a school term and met up on a weekly basis for fitness testing. Accompanied by the development of a 'Walking Pack' which promoted walking to school as a way of improving health.
• High proportion of pupils who travel to school by train has led, in the past, to a major initiative to raise awareness of train safety issues both within the school and in the wider community: a group of S6 pupils worked with the Transport Police to look at train safety, produce a magazine for pupils, and presented their findings to Transport Police and Chamber of Commerce.
• Road safety education provided within the curriculum, as part of the Personal and Social Development/Education.
• No current initiatives to promote road safety to pupils and parents. The work undertaken over the past few years has taken place on a project basis, and in the 2002/03 school year projects have been focussed on other issues. In the next school year (2003/04) the school will promote a range of healthy activities to pupils, and it is anticipated that this will include a focus on the way in which pupils travel to school.

Issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• Despite physical improvements recommended by pupils as part of cycling campaign, cycling not actively encouraged, since many teachers "not particularly happy encouraging cycling to school" because of busy local roads. As a result, very few pupils cycle to school.
• School feels it would only be possible to promote cycling if cycle routes were physically separated from the road.
• However, teachers still concerned about road safety and healthy ways of getting to school and worked with Road Safety Unit to promote walking to school instead.
• Initiatives can be difficult to sustain: while teachers viewed a walking to school project as successful it has not been followed up in subsequent years due to the time commitment required of teachers and pupils.
• Assistant Head Teacher believes that the requirement for all schools in the Authority to become 'Health Promoting Schools' will have an impact on the way in which road safety is promoted to pupils.

Examples of SRTS activities

• In 2000, pupils designed/conducted a major project to assess road safety and travel issues facing their school. Included surveys and interviews with key informants in the school, council, local police, relevant organisations (including Friends of the Earth Scotland) and the wider community, Also considered options for safer and healthier travel with peers, local police, local authority engineering and other departments.
• Local Safe Routes organisation which promotes cycling in the area provided guidance on cycle racks: for example, how to make them secure, how to set up a cycle club, how to contact their local councillors.
• Pupils liaised with other young people conducting similar initiatives, linking to other websites to encourage cycling and safer routes to school.
• In 1999, small group of pupils put together a Green Transport Plan as part of entry for a major national competition. Pupils' project work identified potential solutions to the cycle and road traffic issues, and won second prize.
• Competition prize money plus local authority funding (available for the installation of cycle racks in any council properties) enabled complete refurbishment of bike sheds.
• Other activities arising from programme included:

• - Lobbying local councillors and Scottish Executive concerning action on local area road safety and traffic calming work (cycle lanes, road markings to discourage parking and speeding, a 20mph speed limit, speed bumps, etc).

  - Establishing a cycle club in the school.

  - Launching an education and information campaign in the school, and associated primary schools to inform pupils, parents and teachers.

  - Promoting developments to others, via the Internet, the local authority's schools intranet, and the press.

• Other than work focusing on promoting cycling there has been little other road safety and SRTS input.
• Local police have provided railway safety education, postcode security marking of bikes, information, and advice.

Local issues and key factors influencing SRTS

• Since 2000, new campaign members have been recruited, but drive to promote cycling and other school-based/ school-led, SRTS projects has tailed off.
• Pupils felt there was a need for 'safer driving' education for S4 and older pupils, and were aware that another of the City's schools did something similar.
• Prior to 2000, very few pupils travelled to school by bike, in part because existing bike sheds were run down: pupils saw them as having "wheel-twister racks…are out of view, vandalised and used by smokers". They were also wary about bringing bikes to school because of tyre slashing incidents. Additionally, in the past, school had also actively discouraged cycling for 'road safety' reasons.
• Many pupils still see local roads as too busy and too dangerous to cycle to school: pupils stressed that separate cycle lanes would be needed with some sort of raised curb to prevent vehicles driving or parking on them.
• Pupils found that while local Council was willing to create 20mph zones without 'traffic calming' measures, police were reluctant to enforce these speed limits unless measures were in place to encourage motorists to observe them. They have also had limited impact in encouraging parents not to park outside the school.