[sustran] fwd: pednet: A Safer Journey to School

[SUSTRAN Resource Centre]

Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 15:41:17 +0100
From: Geraint Jennings <geraint at itl.net>
Subject: pednet: A Safer Journey to School 

This message sent to pednet by Geraint Jennings <geraint at itl.net>.

A Safer Journey to School - new website from UK DETR:
http://www.local-transport.detr.gov.uk/schooltravel/safe/index.htm

Extract re walking:

 More walking

 Children's freedom and the car

 While child pedestrian casualties have fallen in the last 10 years, this
is probably because children are increasingly kept away from traffic.
Children using roads are at their most vulnerable when they first gain
their independence, but may not have the road skills to match. Overall,
they are most likely to become pedestrian casualties at 11, 12 and 13,
(though the chances of a boy being killed as a pedestrian also peak around
the age of eight). 

 Pedestrian training can help children to act more safely on the roads, but
no child gets it right all the time. We have to make roads safer for
children, and that means slower speeds and less traffic.

 Walking is such an everyday activity that it is easy to take it for
granted. Yet we don't walk nearly as much as we used to - about a fifth
less than 20 years ago - and the loss of this exercise is a health concern.
Walking to school helps children to keep fit now, and makes it more likely
that they'll stay active when they are older. Younger children who walk to
school with a parent or carer have the chance to build up their road sense
over time, making them better prepared for independent journeys later on.

 Ticket to walk 

 "The children love it," says Coreen King, a parent volunteer who regularly
accompanies the walking bus to Wheatfields Junior School in St Albans.
"They all chat about what they've been up to and what they watched on telly
the night before." As an added incentive, children are given a sticker for
every journey and can trade them for free goods in the school book shop.

 The walking bus

 Parents may have difficulty in finding time to walk to school. One option
is to arrange an escort rota - so that two or three families take turns in
accompanying children. Some primary schools have taken this idea much
further by setting up a 'walking bus'. This is a group of children, walking
to school with two parent volunteers - a 'driver', who leads the way, and a
'conductor' at the rear. The walking bus follows a set route, stopping at
agreed pick up points in the neighbourhood. Volunteers and children are
kitted out with reflective clothing and a trolley can be used to carry
bags. A number of safety checks are used in setting up schemes, for example:

 -volunteers receive training in road safety and follow a route worked out
by a road safety officer

 -a ratio of at least one volunteer to eight children is recommended for
junior age children 

 -parents sign a consent form and make sure their child understands a set
of road safety guidelines 

 -volunteers are vetted by police to check they have no criminal background

 -arrangements are made for volunteers to be covered by third party public
liability insurance, for example through the local authority. 

 Full guidelines for setting up a walking bus are available (see resource
file).

 Walk to school events

 Many schools promote walking by taking part in national Walk to School
Week when parents are encouraged to accompany their children on foot.
Badges, stickers and other materials are available (see resource file).
Some schools have gone on to run year-round campaigns for parents and
children to 'walk a day a week'.

 Pedestrian training

 You can work with local authority road safety officers to provide
practical pedestrian training for children as part of Personal, Social and
Health Education. Effective training involves sessions at the roadside,
rather than being purely classroom based. Many schemes train parent
volunteers to work with pupils. It's important to convey to parents that
children who have completed a series of sessions are not automatically
'roadworthy'. Pedestrian training should be a long term process with
frequent, short sessions at different ages. There is a particular need to
raise children's awareness about road safety as they approach secondary
transfer. At this age, many children gain their independence and start to
make longer journeys.

 Feet first

 At Waingel Copse School in Reading drivers leaving the school grounds are
held back for 15 minutes at the end of the day until pedestrians and
cyclists have left the site. 

 Traffic-free entrances

 Children need to be able to walk safely into school without having to
weave between vehicles coming in or out. Ideally there should be a
separate, traffic-free entrance for walkers and cyclists. Where pedestrians
and cyclists are using the same pathway, the space should be clearly
divided. Entrances should be wide enough for several people to use them at
once. Even without a separate entrance, arrangements at the end of the
school day can prevent a free-for-all. One idea is to hold traffic back
until children who are walking or cycling have left in safety.

 Visible school clothing 

 School uniforms are often quite dark, making it difficult for children to
be seen by drivers. Consider whether changes are needed. Some schools
supply reflective badges and other accessories to children at discounted
prices. 

 Storage space

 Children may be coming by car because they have to carry heavy books,
musical instruments or materials for classes. Providing plenty of locker
space at school can reduce the amount they need to take home and make it
easier to store coats and outdoor shoes. Think about whether changes can be
made to the homework timetable to ensure that children don't have too much
to carry on any one night.

 Lollipop crossings

 Schools can approach the local authority road safety department to request
a school crossing patrol at a busy crossing point. The decision to provide
a patrol will depend on the volume of traffic and the number of
unaccompanied children using the crossing. If the council refuses a
permanent patrol, they may agree to provide a temporary one, and see if the
numbers using the crossing point increase over time. Schools can help with
recruitment, which can be difficult. 

 Resource file

 Guidelines for setting up a walking bus are available from Environment
Department, Hertfordshire County Council, County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford,
SG13 8DN, tel 01992 555265, price £5.

 ROSALIND is a computerised database of road safety education resources,
for use by road safety practitioners, teachers and other professionals.
Copies are available from the British Institute for Traffic Education
Research, Kent House, Kent Street, Birmingham B5 6QF, tel 0121 622 2402,
price £49.95. Most road safety departments have copies they can lend to
schools. 

 Kerbcraft, by Strathclyde University, published by the Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions, is a resource for practical
pedestrian training, available on the DETR website: http://www.detr.gov.uk.

 Footsteps, a traffic awareness programme, is available from Oxfordshire
County Council, Environmental Services, Road Safety/TravelWise Group,
Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, Oxford OX1 1NE, tel 01865 815657, sample
pack price £2.60.

 Walk to School information packs, stickers and posters are available from
the Pedestrians Association, 31-33 Bondway, Vauxhall, London SW8 1SJ, tel
0171 820 1010 or 020 7820 1010, price £5 for pack. Other Walk to School
resources are available from National TravelWise Association, contact John
Sykes at Hertfordshire County Council on 01992 556117.

 

      *****************  Geraint Jennings  *******************
     Artist, Teacher, Green, and general all-round good egg
                               geraint at itl.net
      *************  http://user.itl.net/~geraint/  *************