School Travel Plans & Safer Routes to School Projects

The Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Transport has recently announced a joint £50 million initiative to help reduce the congestion outside schools. This initiative will reward schools that write and implement a School Travel Plan with cash awards, typically £5,000 (primary) and £10,000 (secondary).

 

What is a School Travel Plan?
It is a document that sets out a school's plans to improve health and safety and the local environment around the school. It may include walking, cycling, public transport initiatives, engineering, educational measures, travel awareness and school policy measures. Often it will lead to a Safer Routes Project.

 

They encourage and enable children to walk, cycle or use public transport through a package of practical and educational measures. The Safer Routes to Schools projects also aims to improve road safety and reduce child casualties while improving children's health and development. Safer Routes to Schools projects involve: 

 

 

Dudley has gained funding to provide a School Travel Plan Advisor, Linda Tromans, to assist schools to write their own Travel Plans. Road Safety Officers will work with schools to run Safer Routes to School projects. Ideas generated by pupils can be used to bid for funds to help create or promote Safer Routes to School.