Cycling and walking

Routes to school
School travel plan scheme
Cycling
Cycle training
Walking
Driving
Further information

Routes to school

A child's journey to school is recognised as having an impact on the child’s safety, on their health and personal development and on today’s environment.

The council assists schools in developing school travel plans and other inititiatives like safer routes to school programmes. These inititiatives aim to promote safer, more environmentally friendly and healthier ways for children to get to and from school.

School travel plan scheme

A school travel plan is a document which sets out a number of practical ways to reduce the number of car trips made to school and to encourage more walking and cycling to and from school and to improve safety during the school journey.

The travel plan aims to raise awareness among pupils and parents of the harmful effects of increasing car use on children's health, safety and the environment we live in.

When a school develops a school travel plan it is demonstrating a commitment to promoting a safer and cleaner environment for children.

The development of a school travel plan may also mean a school is eligible for funding from the Department of Transport and possibly other sources towards the cost of some of its travel proposals.

The school travel plan may also cover proposals for any engineering and educational measures needed to improve safety and to reduce the use of cars on the school run.

Measures that may need to be carried out are the installation of pedestrian crossings, marked school zones, cycle routes and cycle parking, parking restrictions, the improvement of pavements, traffic reduction, school grounds and the provision of road safety education, training and personal security advice.

The school travel plan may also include a number of other travel initiatives like safer routes to school, school zones, walking bus and park and stride all which put particular emphasis on walking and cycling as the most healthy and environmentally friendly ways for a child to get to and from school.

Cycling

If you have older children, you could encourage them to cycle to school providing safe cycle routes are available. Before your children start cycling to school you will need to provide them with:

• Clothing – provide your child with bright fluorescent and reflective clothing, supportive shoes and a back pack
• Bike - it's better to buy the right size bike rather than get one which is too big that the child can ‘grow into’. An oversized bike could be dangerous and is likely to discourage your child from cycling. It's advisable to choose a bike without a crossbar which is safer if your child accidentally falls
• Helmet - buy a well fitting cycle helmet. You should only buy a helmet if it carries a CE mark and one of the safety standards (e.g. BS683:1989, AS.2063, ANSI, IZZ 90.4 SNELL, B90 or B95)
• Training - consider enrolling your child on a cycle training course to develop their cycling skills and help them to become more confident. The council runs training sessions through youth groups and in schools.

Cycle training

You need to be careful when cycling in Tower Hamlets and a certain amount of cycling ability is needed to ensure that you are safe on the roads. To ensure your safety you can take an approved cycle training course.

The council offers Tower Hamlets' residents free adult cycle training. Download the diary planner 2008/09 (PDF 126k) for session times and more information.

Free cycle training is also offered to children over the age of nine through local schools.

Cycle training helps you to:

• develop observation and manoeuvrability skills
• learn the importance of cycle maintenance and hazard awareness
• find out about the Highway code
• get information and advice on wearing protective helmets and being clearly visible on the road.

If you are interested in finding out more about about road safety have a look at the website of The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Walking

If you live close to the school you should encourage your children to walk to school to keep them fit and healthy.

You will need to provide your children with bright, reflective clothing, supportive shoes and a back pack.

If you have young children you can either walk with them or get together with other parents and take it in turns to accompany them to school. Alternatively you could allow your children to participate in one of the walking bus initiatives.

A walking bus allows groups of children to walk to school to keep them fit and healthy and by doing so reduces traffic and congestion outside schools.

A walking bus involves two responsible adults who are known by the school walking a group of children to school along an agreed route.

Any volunteers involved in a walking bus scheme have to first complete a police criminal background check. Some walking buses operate every school day while others operate one or two days a week depending on the number of adult volunteers involved.

The council's road safety department will assess walking bus routes and can provide training for volunteers. All children and adults involved in a walking bus must wear reflective clothing which can be supplied by the Traffic & Transportation Office.

Driving

Taking your children to school by car is not encouraged because of the pollution and traffic congestion caused. Also one in seven children today have asthma and medical evidence suggests that this is related to traffic fumes.

If you have no choice other than to take your children to school by car you should:

• Make sure that your child gets out safely on the pavement side when you are dropping them off
• Park well away from school entrances and yellow zig zag areas to reduce traffic congestion at schools
• Make sure you don’t leave your engine running when waiting to collect your children. Idle engines produce 80% more pollution than a vehicle that is in motion
• Try approaching other parents about sharing lifts to reduce congestion and pollution
• Where possible participate in a Park & stride initiative by parking a distance away from the school at a designated car park and walking the remaining distance to school.

Further information

For further information about walking or cycling to school, please contact:
John Rymell
Tel: 020 7364 6918
minicom: 020 7364 6885
E-mail: roadsafety@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Pid Nos: 546, 547