School travel plans

The council considers that road safety issues around schools are best considered within the context of a School Travel Plan.

School travel plans help make journeys to and from school safer, healthier and more sustainable.

We work with schools, parents and pupils to encourage walking, cycling and public transport. This can reduce traffic outside schools, improve safety and support healthier travel habits from an early age.

What a school travel plan does

A school travel plan looks at how pupils and staff travel to and from school. It helps identify local issues, such as congestion and parking, and sets out potential actions to improve safety and access.

Each plan:

• reviews the local travel situation around the school
• identifies concerns such as traffic and parking
• sets targets and actions to improve travel choices
• includes monitoring so progress can be tracked over time

The process puts the onus on pupils, parents and teachers to monitor the travel situation and to work with the Council’s School Travel Plan Co‑ordinator, who supports schools in developing plans and agreeing appropriate aims, targets and timescales for action.

Activities and support

Activities include:

• walk to school days
• park and stride schemes
• walking buses
• cycle training and storage

You can find more information about school road safety activities on our Road safety education, training and publicity page.