School Travel Plans

Overview

The TravelWise School Travel Plan programme aims to reduce car trips to school by increasing the use of active, social, safe, and sustainable travel choices such as walking, cycling and public transport.

This is achieved by individual schools or 'clusters' of schools developing Travel Plans in partnership with Waitakere City Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).

Strategies in a plan include education, encouragement, enforcement and engineering (the implementation of road infrastructure safety measures such as safer crossing points, traffic calming and new footpaths).

It is well recognised that less congestion, along with infrastructure improvements, benefit not only the school but also the wider community.

Getting to School - What's the problem?

Every morning over 250,000 children travel to school in the Auckland region, and over half these trips are made by car. In the past 20 years, the percentage of children being driven to school has more than doubled.

Car trips to school add to traffic congestion, parking hassles, air pollution, and the risk of crashes. When travelling by car, children and parents miss valuable opportunities to meet friends and get to know their local community.

Meanwhile, many Auckland children do not get enough exercise, which increases their risk of developing serious health problems.

The solution - a School Travel Plan!

Schools, parents and students are encouraged to work together to make it easier and safer for children to:

• Walk
• Cycle
• Catch the bus or train
• Carpool

Fewer car trips to school help keep children active, healthy and safe while reducing Auckland's traffic problems. Children at TravelWise schools learn to form healthy and sustainable habits for the future.

Waitakere City Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) help schools to develop School Travel Plans and improve the travel choices for the school and their communities.

ARTA, in partnership with the local Councils, aims to develop Travel Plans for every school in the Auckland region by 2016.

What is a School Travel Plan?

A School Travel Plan is a set of practical actions which aims to improve road safety and reduce car trips to school.

Actions in a Travel Plan can include:

• Setting up Walking School Buses
• Road safety education
• Traffic calming measures
• Parking restrictions
• Putting in safer pedestrian facilities
• Putting in cycleways
• Cyclist education
• Promotional activities that encourage car pooling, walking, cycling and public transport.

The benefits of a School Travel Plan

• Increased health and fitness
• Increased independence and road sense for children
• Fewer car trips to school
• Less traffic congestion and air pollution
• A safer, more pleasant local environment
• More chances for children and adults to make friends
• Stronger communities

Who develops a School Travel Plan?

The Plan is developed from information gathered from parents, students and the community. The actual planning is done by a working group who are representative of the whole school community. The working group may include:

• The school's Principal or other teachers
• A representative from the Board of Trustees
• Student representative(s)
• Parents
• A local Councillor or Community Board representative
• Local Council staff
• ARTA School Travel Plan Coordinator

How is the School Travel Plan developed?

1. Set up: School, Council and ARTA meet and agree to develop a plan

2. Research: Students and parents surveyed - School travel policies and school locality reviewed - consultation - report produced.

3. Plan: Set up working group - develop strategies - consult - produce plan.

4. Deliver: School Council and ARTA implement actions in plan

School Travel Plans in Waitakere

School Travel Plans have been developed for a number of Waitakere schools. Henderson South School and Fruitvale School were Waitakere's 'pilot' schools on the programme. These were followed by two clusters of schools - in the Lincoln-Rathgar area and the Rutherford area.

A Travel Plan for five schools in the Te Atatu South area was launched in March 2008 and implementation is underway.

Six schools in Massey (west of the motorway) are developing School Travel Plans, and a further 5 schools will start their Travel Plans process in 2008.

For further on the TravelWise programme information see www.travelwise.org.nz .