PERSONAL TRAVEL
Journeys to and from school
The vulnerability of school children to traffic risks is a real problem (but one that is increased as more parents drive their children to school) and the concern of parents to protect them is duly responsible, but clearly there are both environmental and health benefits to be gained if journeys by cars can be safely reduced (4.14).
In the USA much more use is made of school buses to get children to and from school, and this model could be followed in the UK in appropriate areas (4.17).
- The Government appreciates that the issue of the 'school run' concerns many and that this concern goes deeper than a wish to reduce congestion by discouraging parents from taking their children to school by car, although the benefits for the morning rush hour would be considerable. Not walking or cycling to school means that children get much less exercise and builds in car dependency at an early stage in a child's development. These children will find it harder as adults to use cars responsibly and will have fewer opportunities to develop the road sense they need as pedestrians or cyclists.
- The Government understands parents' concerns about the safety of their children and that for many using a car has become the only way to manage a tight schedule. The New Deal for Transport will help reduce the need for children to be driven to school by encouraging safe routes for walking and cycling, giving greater priority to public transport and, through planning policies, improving opportunities to get to work, shops and other facilities without having to use the car. Transport issues will continue to be taken into account when shaping Government policies which relate to children's journeys to school, for example by developing healthy schools initiatives that include safer routes to schools.
- Local authorities are already doing valuable work aimed at reducing car use for journeys to school and the Government is providing support in a variety of ways. Government will build on the best of current practice and help local authorities, schools, parents and teachers develop a comprehensive approach that reflects local needs and views. Measures that could be considered include escort schemes, before and after school clubs, adjustments to the school day, improvements to local transport services, traffic management and school facilities for cycling. The New Deal for Transport sets out a range of initiatives to encourage more children to get to school other than by car:
- a School Travel Advisory Group comprising Government Departments, local authorities and others to lead the dissemination of best practice and to contribute to the development of policy;
- encouraging local authorities to include measures and targets to reduce car travel to school in local transport plans;
- distributing guidance on best practice for promoting alternatives to the car and on developing green transport plans;
- encouraging schools and local authorities to take account of the transport implications of their education policies;
- encouraging communities to reduce car use without compromising safety, in ways which actively involve children, school governors, parents and local business;
- securing private sector support for school transport initiatives, building on the recent initiatives to fund computers;
- as announced in the 'Healthy Schools Initiative', measures to encourage safe alternatives to the car for travel to school in the criteria for the 'Investors in Health -Healthy Schools Award';
- covering school journeys in broader national awareness campaigns.
- The Government will continue to consider carefully the experience of school transport in other countries but care has to be taken in drawing direct comparisons given the differences in education and transport systems and social and geographical contexts that might exist. In the UK, local education authorities (LEAs) already have a statutory duty to provide free home-to-school transport for children under eight living more than two miles from the nearest suitable school, and for children over eight living more than three miles away. Special needs or religious preference may sometimes mean that the nearest suitable school is some distance away. LEAs have wide discretion in their arrangements for home-to-school transport, both statutory and extra-statutory.
- As a result, there is a wide variety of provision around the country and considerable knowledge of best practice and of the educational and environmental impact of changes in provision. The planned guidance for local authorities on school travel will draw on the best experience available and take account of any views that the School Travel Advisory Group might have.
Published 23 December 1998
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