Safer journeys to school

A growing issue

There are more vehicles on the road than ever with a larger number of children being driven to school. So the road environment near many schools can feel busy and unsafe.

Decreasing the number of vehicles near the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times can help:

• reduce the risks of road traffic collisions involving child pedestrians and cyclists
• reduce the exhaust fume levels
• encourage more children and parents to walk, scoot or cycle to school

Our messages to parents and carers

If you usually do the school run by car, we urge you to consider the following steps:

• If you live within a 400-800m walking distance from the school try walking instead of driving - find your child’s school’s walking map
• If you live too far to walk and can't use public transport try Park and Stride: look for places you can park for free, legally, safely and considerably away from the school gate and walk the rest of the journey
• Consider replacing at least one car journey each week or organise a carpool with other local parents

By removing pressure off roads leading to school, you are helping to improve the safety of people going to and from school.

As the road environment and air quality improve more people might consider going to school by:

• walking
• scooting
• cycling

Everyone’s effort combined can make a big difference.

Child advice

Walking or scooting to school

When walking or scooting to school:

• you could ask your school to organise a walking bus or set up a formal Park and Stride
• you and your child or children should cross at the School Crossing Patrol site if there is one near your school
• remember to teach the Green Cross Code to your child/children and do so regularly
• find your school’s walking map, then plan the safest route to school with your child or children if they are going to travel to school on their own
• if scooting to school, remind your child or children to always give way to pedestrians while on the pavement
• encourage your child or children to:
  • be extra visible by wearing fluorescent and reflective clothing or accessories
  • not look at their phones and/or wear earphones when crossing the road. There are more electric cars and bikes using the road than ever before. They are very quiet and therefore hard to hear coming

Remember you are their role model, so always set a good example. In 2020, the DfT published Tales of the Road, a children friendly highway code. You can help your child or children learn the Green Cross Code (pages 6-8) as well as other essential rules of the road.

Cycling to school

Cycling is great for children’s physical and mental health but it is important they know how to cycle safely.

We recommend:

• that children under 10 years old do not cycle on their own to school
• that they complete the Bikeability Level 2 training before cycling on the road so they have the skills to cycle safely. It is a parent’s decision to allow them to cycle on the road or not

Check that:

• the bike is safe to ride
• reflectors and lights are fitted to the bike
• your child or children wear a cycle helmet
• your child and children wear appropriate clothing (including some bright and reflective elements especially at night)

Taking the public bus

 Taking the bus can be a quicker way to get to and from school for some children.

• check whether there is a bus route from your house to the school, if there is check where the closest bus stops are
• check the bus times with your child or children
• remind them to stand a few feet away from the edge of the road while waiting for a bus
• remind them to always stay seated on the bus
• when getting off a bus, they should never cross the road directly behind or in front of it. They should instead wait until it has moved off and they can see the road clearly in both directions before crossing.

Safer Journeys to School campaign

Some of our schools choose to run our Safer Journeys to School campaign. This is to:

• help share the information on this page with parents
• encourage behaviour change

We:

• lend equipment to schools to support the campaign and a suggested calendar
• liaise with local police when appropriate to enforce near the school gate during and after the campaign

The campaign equipment includes:

• 3 large outdoor banners with various safety messages
• ‘Parking buddies’ which are metal cut-outs of children characters holding various safety messages. These buddies are safely placed at the kerbside where drivers should not stop or park such as:
  • School Keep Clear marking
  • double yellow lines
• campaign leaflets
• observation sheets

We encourage schools to gather a group of young helpers who count the number of vehicles either parked illegally, inconsiderably or doing some unsafe manoeuvres before the campaign starts, then at least one morning and one afternoon each week during the campaign to measure the impact of the campaign messages on drivers. Use the observation sheets to record your results.

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We first launched the campaign at Holy Cross in May 2022. Since then, other schools have organised the campaign and at least 2 more are planning to run it soon.

If your school is interested in running the Safer Journeys to School campaign you can contact us by email: roadsafetyeducation@plymouth.gov.uk