Scottish Government

4. CHAPTER FOUR SCHOOL TRANSPORT AND OTHER POLICIES

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 This chapter explores the links between school transport and other policies, such as:

4.2 Understanding the Main Issues

4.2.1 The Scottish Executive Scottish Transport Statistics No 23 (2004) suggests that the proportion of school children being driven to school increased from 6% in 1986 to 20% in 2004, and this proportion is confirmed by more recent data shown below.

4.2.2 Table 4.1 shows how pupils in full-time education in Scotland currently make the journey to school.

Table 4.1 How school children normally travel to school (2005)

(Source: Scotland's People: Results from the 2005 Scottish Household Survey, Scottish Executive (2006))

4.2.3 As well as the effect on congestion, increased car use escalates the level of harmful pollutant emissions, contributes to road safety concerns, and has a detrimental effect on the health and physical fitness of many children. The Review of Research on School Travel (2002) identified congestion, pollution and lack of exercise as three of the main negative factors associated with car travel.

4.2.4 In 2002, the Why Do Parents Drive Their Children to School publication highlighted the problem of traffic congestion in urban areas being made worse by parents on the school run and argued for greater awareness raising among parents on the negative outcomes associated with over-reliance on the car for these trips.

4.2.5 By teaching pupils about the effects of their travel choices it may be possible to instigate a change in modal choice. The 2003 report Children's Attitude to Sustainable Transport reported that most young people do have at least some awareness of sustainable transport options and benefits but that levels of understanding varied depending on the level of education received from schools in this regard. It highlighted the value of whole-school programmes such as Eco-Schools and Health Promoting Schools in influencing parents and effecting change.

4.2.6 Integration between school transport policies and the wider transport policies of local authorities has been recognised as desirable. Local Transport Strategies and School Travel Plans are existing tools which are used to link school transport to wider transport policies.

4.3 Findings from the Survey

4.3.1 As part of the survey carried out for this research, most respondents failed to provide suitably detailed or accurate information relating to the breakdown of pupils using different modes to travel to school. Table 4.2 shows a comparison of mean percentages for primary and secondary schools by mode. It shows that, on average, walking accounts for the greatest proportion of pupils' travel to both primary and secondary schools. Car is the second most prevalent mode choice for primary pupils whilst school bus travel accounts for the second greatest proportion of secondary school travel. Use of local bus and train services shows a low uptake, with cycling, on average, accounting for the smallest proportion of student travel. Given some of the concerns from authorities regarding the accuracy of their data, these figures should be taken as indicative rather than definitive values.

Table 4.2 Comparison of Travel Mode for Primary and Secondary School Pupils

4.3.2 The majority of authorities said that they had made recent investments in walking and cycling. When asked specifically what had encouraged shift from the car to other forms of travel, a wide range of solutions were identified. Common among these were 20 mph schemes, Safer Routes to Schools Schemes, Cycling Proficiency, Walking and Safer Street ( CWSS) Schemes, and School Travel Plans.

4.3.3 Promotional activities directed at pupils and parents include travel leaflets, classroom work, workshops and the promotion of sustainable travel.

Importance of School Travel in Attaining Local Transport Objectives

4.3.4 There appears to be consensus among authorities that school travel is important in attaining local transport objectives. The majority of respondents (n=22) said that this was very important and a further seven recognised it as being quite important. None of those who responded felt that it had no importance at all. Table 4.3 provides a breakdown of responses.

Table 4.3 Importance of school travel in attaining local transport objectives

4.3.5 When asked which department was responsible for setting transport policies (for example, on reducing car use, improving road safety, and encouraging alternative modes) there was a wide variety of responses. Most commonly, it was the 'Transportation' or 'Roads and Transportation' departments who were cited as having responsibility.

Consideration of Travel Choices in the Council's Wider Polices

4.3.6 Travel choices affect people's health, the economy and the environment. To this end, councils were asked to what extent these issues were being considered in their wider polices and in the school curriculum.

4.3.7 Many authorities drew attention to their Local Transport Strategies and/or Corporate Plans. SHAW (Scotland's Health at Work) was also mentioned. New Local Transport Strategies are strongly focused on encouraging travel behaviour change and raising awareness of sustainable travel. These link to council travel plans, road safety plans, school travel planning initiatives, sustainability charters, community plans and strategic plans. Partnership working in the Safer Routes to School initiative (health, roads, education, transport strategy, road safety, eco, active schools) was also quoted.

4.3.8 The Curriculum for Excellence provides opportunities to consider travel as well as other initiatives like Eco Schools, Determined to Succeed and Health Promoting Schools. This will vary from school to school as they are given the flexibility to build their travel plans into whichever areas of the curriculum or school life they feel will give it the best support and highest chance of success.

4.3.9 In rural areas, whilst travel choices are not as readily available as in more urban areas, policies to promote the choices that are available are still considered in wider policies and the school curriculum e.g. the Local Plan, the Local Transport Strategy and Health Promoting Schools.

4.4 Parent and Pupil Observations

4.4.5 In our consultation with parents a number of themes emerged on how school transport relates to the aims of wider transport policies. Our discussions with pupils did not cover any of the issues in this area.

Walking and Cycling

4.4.6 Although a lot of parents are aware of the benefits of walking and cycling many are of the opinion that these modes are not suitable for their child. Some felt that their children lived too far from their school to be able to walk or cycle and that they have no choice but to drive. The need for proper infrastructure to facilitate safe walking and cycling to school was highlighted.

"If children are being encouraged to cycle/walk we must make sure there are proper crossings and limitations on where cars can park"

4.4.7 Many parents felt that whether they would let their child walk or cycle was dependant on traffic levels along the route they would have to walk.

4.4.8 For walking, there appears to be a good awareness amongst parents about the benefits of their children accessing school by this mode. Those identified included:

4.4.9 Negatives that were identified as being associated with walking to school included:

4.4.10 One parent had heard of 'walking buses' but suggested that the need for police and Disclosure checks could act as obstacles for parents wanting to work with children.

4.4.11 Again, for cycling, parents are aware of health benefits but concerned about safety. One parent said that she had cycled recently and found it "terrifying" because she felt it was dangerous and so she would not let her children cycle to school.

"I would not let my children cycle even if they were old enough as that is a potential for stranger danger, bad drivers etc."

Buses

4.4.12 Like walking and cycling, many parents were aware of the environmental benefits of using buses for the journey to school. Overall, it appears that parents would prefer their children to use a dedicated school bus ahead of public transport services.

"I would prefer independent transport for the school pupils so that they are collected/dropped off outside the school and at appropriate stop off points for children. It may be a case that public transport would involve them having to walk further distances and more likely to miss the appropriate bus home."

"Public transport is also not as safe as it is not controlled in the same way as a school bus and you don't know what they will meet and have to deal with - so it is not a good idea to use it."

4.4.13 A number felt that the state of public transport is not good. Others had the view that public transport can be unreliable and cause children to be late, particularly as many services are not run to be compatible with school hours.

4.4.14 Many positives were, however, identified particularly in relation to giving children greater independence and responsibility. They included:

4.5 Local Case Study Examples

Initiatives to Promote Walking

4.5.1 'Walk to school weeks' are taking place across the country but Aberdeenshire Council has been particularly pro-active in producing supporting material.

4.5.2 The School Travel Planning Officer for Aberdeenshire adapted standard forms so that they more readily fitted into the curriculum and were more age appropriate. They have now produced a number of travel diaries which can be filled out by individual pupils or by whole classes. Versions of these diaries have been produced which are suitable for different ages of pupils (P1-3 and P4-7). All material produced by the council is consistently presented using logos and artwork designed by pupils.

4.5.3 A certificate had been designed which can be issued to pupils who have taken part in Walk to School Weeks.

4.5.4 Aberdeenshire Council has had trial runs of 'park and stride' schemes and intend to start running them permanently in the spring of 2007. Aberdeenshire Council is building on the 'Go for It' walking and cycling initiative scheme created by Highland Council; this will be piloted to allow pupils who park and stride to claim this as walking time. The council hopes that this will encourage parents who have to drive to park further away from schools, increasing safety in front of schools and maximising active travel.

4.5.5 Aberdeenshire works closely with Grampian Police to try and co-ordinate their use of 'ParkSmart' banners with educational/travel planning activities in schools.

4.5.6 The council has also prepared a 13 page guide which contains "everything you ever wanted to know about walking buses". This includes forms to be distributed to parents explaining how a walking bus operates and asking if they would like their child to be involved in the scheme. Also included is information on how to become a walking bus volunteer and a guide explaining how the walking bus should operate, including a variety of scenarios which volunteers may have to deal with.

4.5.7 Aberdeenshire Council also designed a 'Walk the World' board game to encourage pupils to walk or cycle to school.

4.5.8 Every day, a record is made of any pupil who arrives at school by either walking (including 'park and stride') or cycling and they are given a sparkly star sticker to keep. Pupils then decide (as a class or whole school) where they want to go on the board using the distance chart prepared. The more pupils who have walked that day, the further they can travel. For each destination there are Small Facts, for the youngest pupils; Big Facts, for middle primaries; and Huge Facts, for upper primary pupils. This way the game can appeal to pupils of all ages and provide an incentive for them to walk or cycle to school rather than be driven.

4.5.9 North Lanarkshire Council has developed 'Smartfeet' to encourage walking to school all year round rather than for the two weeks per year of the national 'Walk to School Weeks'. This followed a survey of all schools and parents in the area during 2006, in which around 90% asked for walking to school to be promoted for more than just one week. The council also believe that their tailored 'Smartfeet' initiative offers better value for money than the Walk to School weeks.

Infrastructure to Promote Walking

4.5.10 Scottish Borders Council has used a number of infrastructure improvements at various schools to try and increase walking and cycling for the journey to school. Examples of investments made include the upgrading of footpaths, crossing places, introduction of speed limits, new footways, and provision of cycle shelters. In some areas they have simply put lighting, improved drainage to remove puddles, or discarded existing run down infrastructure.

Melrose Primary School

4.5.11 Melrose Primary in the Borders is located centrally, on a very busy road and its popularity with parents has led to many successful placing requests. As children whose parents have made successful requests are not eligible for free school transport, many parents drive their children to the site. Moreover, much of the surrounding area is rural, with small, remote settlements, which means that, for many pupils, walking to school is not a realistic option.

4.5.12 The council therefore introduced measures to combat the "chaos" of a car park congested with parents and pupils, and a lack of footpaths. They took advantage of the school rebuilding programme to reclaim half the car park for playground and close off the remainder. They installed a bollard which is raised three times a day to prevent parking close to the school.

4.5.13 Additional parking has been provided further away from the school and a stretch of verge in poor condition (see photo on left) has been replaced by a new footway (see photo on right). Parents can now park all the way along it and the children can walk down it and make use of the school crossing patrol at the end which crosses them straight over to the school.

Before	After

4.5.14 In addition, they have improved routes from other parking areas in the town and added safer crossing places. This scheme has been successful because the measures mean that every child now has to walk at least 20 yards to the school. Only a handful of parents complained.

Broughton Primary School

4.5.15 Broughton Primary in the Borders is a small school which houses about 80 pupils, located in a very busy area off of the A701. Issues with lack of footways and no surface markings led the council to make improvements to the area by putting in improved footways to link with existing paths and no parking 'zig-zags'. They have then been promoting 'park and stride' and parents are now encouraged to park in a large parking area further up the road and walk the last few hundred metres through the re-landscaped area. Again, few complaints have been received.

Before	After

Morebattle Primary School

4.5.16 At Morebattle Primary School, the railings were removed during the 1939-45 war and never replaced. This meant that one of the problems they had was children coming out of the school and running straight onto the road. There were no footways outside the school, or for a long stretch leading into the village.

4.5.17 In a joint effort with the Education Department they have put the railings back in along with a gate which children cannot get through easily as it does not open fully.

4.5.18 They now also have a safe standing area which actually has had barriers and crossing mats installed since the photo was taken. This is enough to stop children from running straight out onto the road into the line of traffic. By making the area safer they hope to encourage more children to walk to school.

4.5.19 Whilst it may be too early to tell if the measures in the Borders have increased the number of people who walk and cycle, the table below shows modal shift for the journey to school from the limited monitoring they have carried out to date.

4.5.20 The chart shows where they have had success; this is any of the highlighted areas which represent:

4.5.21 The schools at the top of the table prepared travel plans prior to the STC's employment so they did not have the same level of support as the others, and getting some of the data from them has been very difficult as they have not signed up to monitor in the same way. Some of the schools have very low pupil numbers so a small number of pupils might represent a fairly high percentage and lead to the figures being a bit unrepresentative.

Initiatives to Encourage Cycling

4.5.22 Highland Council decided to run a cycle to work scheme which was provided by Cyclescheme (http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/). It started on the 1st of July 2006 and closed on the first of August of the same year. The scheme enabled eligible council employees to obtain a discount of at least 40% on the recommended retail price (inc. VAT) of the bike of their choice, through local bike shops, as long as the bike was to be used primarily for travel to and from work. Teachers were eligible for the scheme and they accounted for approximately 17% of the 532 employees who took up the scheme (around 90).

4.5.23 The scheme uses a tax exemption, introduced by the 1999 Finance Act to support the Government's Green Transport Plan. Employees pay for the bike by sacrificing an amount of their salary over an 18 month period which is exactly equal to the cost of the bike, less VAT and also save on National Insurance contributions. The employees then hire the bike from the council during this period, at the end of which they have the opportunity to own it outright for a nominal charge.

4.5.24 Promoting cycling is part of the council's green agenda, and there are additional benefits from a reduction in car use, less pressure for parking provision and a healthier workforce. The council bears no direct costs for running the scheme and will actually make minor savings on National Insurance contributions and Income Tax. There is a dedicated website which allows employees to obtain scheme vouchers online and provide them with instructions for how to purchase a bike. The scheme has received positive feedback from employees who have taken part.

Cycle Passport

4.5.25 In the Scottish Borders Council area, the Scottish Cycle Training Scheme is facilitated by Lothian and Borders Police and requires parent volunteers to take the P6 and P7 children out on cycle training. Unfortunately, this had not happened in recent years and many pupils at the high school had never undergone any form of cycle training.

4.5.26 To overcome this, Hawick High school in the area developed a bike passport which involves members of the local bike group and teachers partnering with the police to deliver training to pupils who want it.

4.5.27 Once children have achieved the training they sign a contract to say they are going to travel sensibly, wear a helmet and keep their bike in a roadworthy condition. The parents also sign the contract to say that they are in principle agreeing that they have responsibility for their child. The school then signs to say that if the child adheres to all the rules they will get a key so they can store their bikes safely in a canoe shed at the school which was converted into a cycle shelter.

4.5.28 It has been an on-going process on which the pupils have led and worked with staff; they started out with four pupils on the project and after two left the school another four pupils got involved because it was so popular. As part of the SUSTRANS study they have identified four major routes and so the council are hopeful in the future that there are some dedicated cycle routes for Hawick.

Infrastructure to Encourage Cycling

4.5.29 City of Edinburgh Council have received funding from the Scottish Executive for Cycling, which has been used to put in cycle racks and cycle parking at schools and cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings at and around schools. If schools ask for the provision of cycle storage facilities they get them and most primary and secondary schools, except those in the city centre, now have a cycle rack. The measures to encourage cycling are not just aimed at children; many can be used by other people cycling around the city.

4.5.30 The local authority are hoping that between Christmas and Easter they will have locked sheds and lockers for bikes in most schools to deal with the problem of theft, especially in schools in areas of deprivation.

4.5.31 SUSTRANS are looking at a major investment in using old railway tunnels around Waverley Station for cycling. The council will also work with British Waterways to introduce cycling tunnels from the city centre to Wester Hailes which could benefit 6 or 7 schools.

Other Ways to Reducing Car Use

4.5.32 Encouraging walking and cycling are not the only ways to reduce car use for the journey to school. Increased use of public transport services is an option, with the bus being the most realistic mode for school travel. The use of public transport also contributes to reduced congestion and pollution.

Bus Timetables

4.5.33 Consultation with pupils at Hawick High School in the Scottish Borders Council area identified that reduction in car use may be achieved by making bus timetables more accessible for students. As a result, timetable information was collated and presented in a more user friendly timetable designed specifically for young people which has proved incredibly popular in the area.

4.5.34 To support the new timetable, pupils also received lessons on how to read the timetables as part of their Personal, Social and Health Education classes.

4.5.35 In the Fife Council area, it was recognised that it is not only pupils who can contribute to a reduction in the number of cars on the road, but that teachers can also play a part.

4.5.36 A regional database called "Liftshare" is run by SESTRANS ( http://www.liftshare.org/) and is connected to "Tripshare" for the Falkirk area http://www.tripsharefalkirk.com/Default.asp?uxi=0&cr=check )

4.5.37 It offers a matching system for people travelling to work and is being promoted by the Travel Plan Officer (not School Travel Plan Officer). It is not specifically targeted at schools or teachers, but the School Travel Plan Officer said if a teacher comes to her and asks how they can get to school she will guide them towards this.

4.5.38 The site boasts over 148,095 members and claims to have over a million journeys registered.

4.5.39 As well as the schemes and initiatives to encourage pupils to travel more sustainably, infrastructure changes can be introduced to physically prevent cars from entering or dropping off in areas around school.

Teaching about Sustainable Travel

4.5.40 There is much scope for including teaching about the benefits of using sustainable travel modes and the disbenefits of over reliance on the car. A number of curriculum based activities have been identified as good, potentially unique, practice.

"Song of the Rickshaw" Workshops

4.5.41 Aberdeenshire Council ran an initiative in partnership with Scottish artist Kenny Munro to promote sustainable travel and stress the importance of travel choices to pupils. The event was the first of its kind in the UK and involved more than 250 pupils form P5-P7 in more than 10 schools.

4.5.42 An authentic Indian rickshaw was taken round the schools and the workshop the children took part in aimed to encourage them to think about pollution, conservation and climate change and to consider the impact of the travel choices they make. During the two-hour workshops children were given the chance to build an eco-friendly vehicle made entirely out of junk.

4.5.43 The scheme was given significant coverage in the local press.

'Travelling Green' in West Dunbartonshire

4.5.44 The Travelling Green project combines classroom based work and materials for pupils to take home. The 'Pupil Information Guide' gets pupils thinking about how they travel to school and gives advice and encouragement to help pupils change to a more active school journey. 'My Travel Challenge' lets pupils set their own weekly targets, agreed with their parents, for increasing the distance that they walk on the school journey. 'Progress Charts' allow pupils to see if they are achieving their targets for walking to and from school. The 'Guide for Parents' gives advice on the benefits of walking to and from school and encourages parents to become involved in active travel. The project is designed for Primary 5 pupils, as they are more likely to be encouraged to engage in habitual physical activity.

4.5.45 The remit of the project covers the environment, road safety and health as it is very much part of the healthy school ethos, looking at physical activity and healthy eating. There are 13 lessons to choose from and the teachers select which lessons are most appropriate for the class.

4.5.46 The project now comprises 13 schools, with 7 more joining this year, and it won a Scottish National Transport Award in 2003. The local authority think that the project works well because of the key lessons it presents and because of the target setting, teachers' handbook and curriculum links it provides. Parents are reported to be pleased that children have the chance to practice pedestrian skills before starting secondary school, when they are more likely to travel independently.

4.5.47 West Dunbartonshire Council (2004) reported that the evaluation results were extremely positive. The percentage of pupils travelling the entire way to school by car decreased from 30% to 8%. The percentage of pupils who walked the whole way to school before Travelling Green was 46%; after the project this had risen to 62%. The average distance walked increased from 0.43 kilometres to 0.71 kilometres. The average distance travelled by car decreased from 0.96 kilometres to 0.68 kilometres. After participating in the project, 81% of the 230 pupils (across four schools) walked either all or some of the way to school.

4.5.48 In 2005, the evaluation from seven schools showed that, before taking part in Travelling Green, 60% of pupils were walking to school and 62% of pupils were walking home. After the project, 71% were walking to school and the same percentage was walking home.

4.5.49 A questionnaire was completed by 251 pupils from the seven schools who participated in Travelling Green. The vast majority (84%) said they had enjoyed taking part in the scheme and nearly half (47%) said they had changed the way they travel to school as a result of taking part in it. A large group (37%) walked all the way to school anyway meaning that only 16% did not change the way they travelled to school.

4.5.50 Parents from the same 7 schools were asked about their views on the scheme, with 141 responding. The vast majority (90%) said they supported their child making a change to the way they travel to school. All, but one, said that other schools should take part in the project.

School Travel Plans

4.5.51 School Travel Plans ( STPs) are a tool for linking school travel with the wider transport policies of local authorities. Their aim is to encourage travel to school by alternative modes and many STPs of a high standard have been prepared across the country. The process of preparing them can require a lot of resources in terms of time and effort. Input from pupils and the parents of pupils is desirable to make them truly reflect the travel issues at individual schools.

4.5.52 The following examples have been highlighted as good practice in the preparation of STPs because they do so in a manner that makes efficient use of available resources while maximising the involvement of pupils and parents.

School Travel Plans in North Lanarkshire

4.5.53 School Travel Plans are the principal mechanism for encouraging healthy and sustainable travel to schools in the North Lanarkshire area. The content of Travel Plans is guided by the National Transport Strategy, the Local Transport Strategy and individual circumstances at schools.

4.5.54 All 130 primary schools in the area were invited to participate in preparing a school travel plan with the support of the School Travel Co-ordinator. Plans are being prepared in phases of around 15 to 20 schools at a time and they are currently on phase four with around 50 schools committed to developing and maintaining travel plans.

4.5.55 The council felt that producing a Travel Plan was such a large task to take on board that they did not feel they could cope with preparing plans for all schools simultaneously; there are only two posts for staff who can help schools with Travel Plan preparation.

4.5.56 North Lanarkshire Council in conjunction with SEEMIS developed a software package which could be used by schools to produce their own School Travel Plan. The software contains a template for the travel plan which is tailored to the circumstances of individual schools.

4.5.57 Results of surveying the pupils on how they travel to school, along with the particular problems associated with travelling to the school, are input into the package. Where possible pupils are encouraged to enter all their own personal information on how they travel to school straight into the package. Pupil members of, for example, the Eco Schools team may be asked to sit with junior pupils and enter their information.

4.5.58 As the schools do so much of the work themselves using the computer package they take ownership of their plans at an early stage. The content of each Travel Plans is different but the format of the final document is always the same.

4.5.59 North Lanarkshire Council believe parents' comments are critical to any school travel plan and should be addressed. They feel it is the parents who know the areas around the school, for example where it is safe to walk and where it is dangerous to cross a road. Ultimately it is up to the parents how their children travel to school. The council produce a three-dimensional model of schools and the surrounding area whenever they wish to consult with parents. This means parents can better visualise the area around the school and easily identify locations which they believe to be problematic.

4.5.60 Where possible, schools in North Lanarkshire are encouraged to include issues surrounding health and sustainable travel in their curriculum. Involving children in the production of Travel Plans is one way to do this; it is also done through schemes such as Eco Schools, Health Promoting Schools, Street Sense and Crash Magnets.

4.5.61 Unfortunately, North Lanarkshire Council believe that it is too early to tell if any of the School Travel Plans are having any effect on children's health or sustainable school travel. The School Travel co-ordinator believes any modal shift changes will only be able to be detected after a number of years.

4.5.62 The software package for the production of the Plans holds a great deal of information on school travel and as this is updated it will be possible to detect any changes in habits.

4.5.63 The positive outcome is that School Travel Plans are being produced quickly and efficiently. North Lanarkshire Council are happy to make the software package they have developed available to any local authority who would like to use it, free of charge. They have already offered the use of it to a number of other authorities and some have expressed an interest. The format of the database means that travel information for a number of authorities can be stored in the same place and then filtered down to just data from a single authority area.

School Travel Assessments

4.5.64 School Travel Assessments are a tool for identifying where infrastructure improvements can be made around schools to achieve wider transport policy aims. Once physical changes have been made they can be followed up by schemes and initiatives to make the most of them.

4.5.65 With limited staff resources, Falkirk Council carried out its first school travel plan initiative with four schools in 1997/98. The response was variable but the council was sufficiently encouraged to engage a consultant to produce assessment reports for all the schools in Grangemouth, This involved interviews or questionnaires for Head Teachers, pupils and parents. Children's perceptions of dangers on the route to school were recorded and independently assessed. Their preferred method of travel and other factors were also recorded.

4.5.66 This raised expectations about the amount of infrastructure work that the council should provide but, fortunately, this coincided with the advent of more funding from the Scottish Executive in the form of Quality of Life and the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets funds, which allowed significant works to be carried out. The council therefore engaged the consultant to complete assessment reports for all the council's schools.

4.5.67 The council was initially able to carry out very few hearts and minds campaigns because of shortage of staff. It consciously used the capital funds to complete the studies and install engineering improvements while this opportunity was available.

4.5.68 Thereafter, particularly with Executive funding for a temporary School Travel Plan Officer, (since made permanent) and activity co-ordinators, the council has increased the hearts and minds work. The studies are used to prioritise various initiatives.

4.5.69 'Hands up' surveys are undertaken; however, they are only in their second year and it may be some time before any statistically significant patterns emerge.

4.6 Lessons Learnt from Elsewhere

4.6.1 The Department for Transport (DfT) has produced a number of policy and guidance documents for England, Wales and Northern Ireland which are also relevant to school travel in Scotland.

4.6.2 Increasing Bus Use for Journeys to School: A Guide to Best Practice (2001) is a guide for local authorities, local education authorities ( LEAs) and commercial operators aiming to increase the proportion of pupils using buses to travel to school. It contains case studies and examples of best practice from around England, Wales and Northern Ireland and offers a 'toolkit' of ideas to suit many different situations which can be applied within current legislation.

4.6.3 The report suggests pupils' and parents' travel decisions are complex and schemes must be tailored to local circumstances and supported by the area's transport strategy set out in the local transport plan ( LTP⁹). It states that "along with measures to encourage walking and cycling, bus schemes can make a big contribution to reducing car dependency and improving children's health and fitness".

4.6.4 School Travel Strategies and Plans: A Best Practice Guide for Local Authorities (1999, modified June 2005) provides "a practical manual for preparing a school travel strategy and implementing individual school travel plans". Intended principally for local authority officers in transport, education and planning, the guide offers advice on the preparation of strategies and plans to reduce car use for school travel and stresses the potential health and other benefits of more sustainable modes.

4.6.5 It contains many ideas for measures which could be contained in a school travel plan to discourage the use of private cars, reduce the number of vehicles around schools and promote sustainable modes, including a checklist of ideas to help a school draw up a travel plan.

4.6.6 In Travelling to School; A Good Practice Guide (2003) the DfT states that " changing the patterns of travel to and from schools is an enormous undertaking but in this document we have brought together some excellent examples of what has been done".

4.6.7 The good practice guide has a companion document entitled Travelling to School; An Action Plan (2003) which describes "what schools, local authorities and bus operators around the country have been doing to promote walking, cycling and public transport and combat increasing car use". In it the DfT state they "want to bring about a step change in home to school travel patterns to cut congestion and pollution, but also to allow many more pupils to take regular exercise".

4.7 Issues for the Future

4.7.1 Many of the schemes which link school transport to wider transport policies rely on the input of School Travel Co-ordinators. The posts are not permanent and it remains to be seen if funding will be made available to continue the posts.

4.7.2 Many of the schemes and initiatives to promote alternative forms of travel, primarily walking and cycling, to school have not been in operation for very long. Whether or not they are successful is often down to the opinion of local authorities as statistical evidence is not widely available. Most councils are of the opinion that it may be a number of years before this sort of evidence emerges.