UG354 - TAKE UP OF SCHOOL TRAVEL PLANS - Levels of activity relating to school travel plans and initiatives (2001)
Overview
Background & policy context:
A key area targeted in the DETR White Paper 'A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone' (1998) was school travel. Data from the National Travel Survey show that over a third of primary school children and over a fifth of secondary school children now travel to school by car. The Government established a School Travel Advisory Group (STAG) in December 1998 to bring together experts in education, road safety, child health and accident prevention as well as transport coordination. This group aimed to raise the profile of school travel issues and encourage and contribute to a coherent approach to school travel.
The introduction of full Local Transport Plans (LTP) saw further emphasis being placed on reducing car use and improving children's safety on the journey to school, taking into account the health and education targets. The original guidance on the 1st Full Local Transport Plans stated that the LTP should 'set out an integrated strategy for reducing car use and improving children's safety on the journey to school, taking account of health and education impacts'. The guidance also asked local authorities to take account of the STAG recommendation that by 2010 the level of cycling, walking and bus travel to school should return to the level in the mid 1980s. To achieve this, the guidance stated that 'authorities should set out how they should work with individual schools to develop school travel plans'.
Objectives:
The objectives of the research were to identify the following:
- Changes since summer 1999 in levels of activity relating to school travel plans and initiatives;
- The extent to which changes can be attributed to DTLR/STAG (School Travel Advisory Group) promotional activities, (guides, resource packs and regional seminars);
- Examples of school travel plans and initiatives (STPs and STIs) that look likely to have a significant impact, where monitoring arrangements are in place (or could be usefully put in place or enhanced);
- Examples of specific linkages made with health and education initiatives;
- Coverage of school travel strategies and plans in full LTPs including the extent to which they have taken into account STAGs aim of returning by 2010 to the level of walking, cycling and bus use in the mid 1980s;
- Examples of good practice in setting out school travel strategies in full LTPs.
Additional objectives of the research were to identify:
- The areas and regions which are most/least active and effective;
- Types of school and location (urban, rural or suburban) with most/least activity and the most/least effective initiatives;
- Main reasons given by local authorities/schools for becoming involved/not involved in school travel activities;
- Sources of support including funding.
Methodology:
The first stage of the study consisted of a postal survey of all local highway authorities in England and Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) which determined the 1999 survey. The second stage of the project consisted of a desk study of the Local Transport Plans, (LTPs) and Local Implementation Plans (LIPs) which established changes in the level of development of STPs as reported in these documents since the previous review by TRL in 2000. Examples of good practice for describing school travel strategies and plans in LTPs/LIPs have also been identified. From the results of this work a database of the main data has been created building on the 1999 survey returns and on the TRL database covering the Provisional Local Transport Plans (LTPs). In order to determine whether schools were using information and guidance material on School Travel Plans and whether they find it useful in helping them develop successful STPs, ten schools were interviewed by telephone. The sixth stage of the project identified the potential case studies for future monitoring of STPs. These case studies have been determined from the results of the first two stages but are also based on criteria such as type of school (primary/junior, ownership type etc), type of local authority (County Council, Unitary etc), geographical region, economic region and rural/urban split.
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