At school drop-off and pick-up times, the roads in the immediate vicinity of schools are especially busy and there is often a high level of vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist activity. This causes congestion and can lead to frustration from residents and motorists.
Reducing school related traffic at peak times can be achieved by encouraging alternative and collective modes of transport. Some of the active, national campaigns that help to enable this are listed here.
https://modeshiftstars.org is the national awards scheme that recognises schools that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel. The scheme was launched nationwide in September 2012 and was created to support the development of School Travel Plans and reward schools over three levels (Bronze, Silver and Gold) for achieving a shift to sustainable modes of travel.
The Walking Bus Scheme https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/ideas/organise-a-school-walking-bus> is a safe and healthy way for groups of children to walk to and from school. Each walking bus has an adult ‘driver’ at the front and an adult ‘conductor’ at the rear. The children walk along a set route picking up ‘passengers’ at planned ‘bus stops’ along the way.
Promote cycling in your community Maybe you would like to create a cycling group in your community to encourage residents to leave the car at home and reap the health benefits. Find out more at Cycling UK< https://www.cyclinguk.org>
THINK! is a campaign by the UK government that has been running road safety campaigns for more than 75 years. The Central Office of Information (COI) ran the government’s road safety campaigns until 2000, when THINK! was officially established as the government’s designated road safety campaign.
Here is a link to further resources that can help teachers and young people learn improve their road safety:
