School Travel
 Car use for the school journey has increased steadily over the years and has almost doubled since the 1980s. This trend has serious health and safety implications for children now and later in their adult lives.
A School Travel Strategy sets out how this problem will be tackled and provides a framework within which individual schools will develop their own travel plans.
The Council has prepared an  Interim School Travel Strategy (138KB, PDF file) with advice from a steering group made up of representatives from organisations in the Borough. The final version of the strategy will include a programme of work detailing which schools will initially receive 'Safer Routes to School' and School Travel Plan' input.
This Interim Strategy was sent to all Bexley Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors. It invited them to put their schools forward for inclusion in the programme of work.
 School Travel Plans
We will assist schools in developing these plans which will include initiatives to encourage and promote walking, cycling, and use of public transport and discourage car use. These could include walking bus schemes, car-sharing schemes, pedestrian skills training and inclusion of road safety education in curriculum work. The plan could also include changes to infrastructure and management issues at the school.
 More about school travel plans
 Safer Routes to School
Council officers work in partnership with schools to identify and improve the safety of routes used by pupils on their journeys to and from school. These improvements can include measures such as 20 mph zones, new crossing facilities, improvements to footways, identifying new School Crossing Patrol sites and introducing physical measures to slow traffic speed.
These schemes can also include provision of formal cycle and/or pedestrian routes.
The Council has already completed several Safer Routes to School Schemes in the Borough:
Location |
Schools in scheme |
Date installed |
Barnes Cray area, Sidcup |
Barnes Cray Primary |
March 1999 |
Upton area, Bexleyheath |
Upton Primary |
March 2001 |
Westwood Schools area, Welling |
Westwood Primary, Westwood College |
July 2001 |
Burnt Oak Lane area, Sidcup |
Burnt Oak Junior, Chatsworth Infant, Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary |
July 2001 |
Northumberland Heath (East) area, Erith |
Erith Lesney Park Primary |
March 2002 |
There are also two schemes currently being developed:
Location |
Schools in scheme |
Date started |
Cleeve Park and Royal Park Schools area |
Cleeve Park, Royal Park Primary |
2002 |
Slade Green area |
Slade Green Infant, Slade Green Junior |
2002 |
 National Walk to School Campaign
London Borough of Bexley supports this National Campaign by providing schools with the promotional materials and encouraging them to take part by holding Walk to School Week events in May and October each year.
Even if a school is not officially taking part in such an event pupils and parents can still 'do their bit' and try walking on their journeys to and from school. Materials are available from the Road Safety Unit.
Events planned for 2004 are Walk to School Week, 24 to 28 May and International Walk to School Week, 4 to 8 October.
Walk to School Campaign website
 Return to Road Safety Home
Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy
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