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Leicestershire County Council Sustainable School Travel StrategyThe County Council is committed to the promotion of safe and sustainable school travel. We also have a duty under the Education and Inspections Act 1996 to promote sustainable modes of travel in our area, and to publish each year a strategy for this purpose.
This page is intended to give you information on
Much of this information is already available elsewhere, and so a lot of what follows consists of links to other documents or web pages. For document downloads you are given the type of document and its file size in brackets after the link. Where it is not possible to link directly to the information, you are given a contact e-mail or telephone number.
Please note that this web page is in its initial form, and we intend to update it, and improve its functionality and linkages, as time goes on.
The following structure should enable you to find the information you need quickly - click on the appropriate link to take you directly to the relevant section:
We have a number of policies and strategies which you may find useful to consult alongside this one, and links to some of the main ones are given here:
Leicestershire’s policy for entitlement to transport to mainstream schools and colleges is currently being updated. A link will appear here when the updated version is available. The policy includes any charges for transport and any exemptions or exceptions.
Leicestershire's Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 - This is our main transport document, which sets out our transport strategy to 2011, and details our implementation programme.
LTP Accessibility Strategy (PDF download, 932 kB)- This link takes you to Chapter 5 of the Local Transport Plan, which contains Leicestershire's Accessibility Strategy. The appropriate paragraphs are: 5.32-5.33 5.70-5.75, 5.182-5.195, Table 5.6.
Outline School Travel Planning Strategy, June 2005 (Microsoft Word download, 2.3 MB) - The government assessed and classified our school travel plan strategy as the highest grade, Category 1.
School Travel Plans website - This site contains guidance on setting up travel plans, and describes the various school travel related initiatives and publications.
Junior Road Safety Officer website - Maintained by the County Council, this site is devoted to the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme, which has been running in Leicester and Leicestershire for over 20 years in primary and junior schools.
Our strategy for school travel is laid out in our Local Transport Plan (LTP). It is addressed as one of our ‘Smarter Choices’ - schemes and initiatives that either reduce the need to travel or encourage travel behaviour change - through School Travel Plans and routes to school programmes; they are hence already firmly rooted in sustainability principles.
For a description of the school travel planning processes and routes to school programmes please follow this link to Chapter 4 of the LTP, and refer to paragraphs 4.32 onwards: Link to LTP Chapter 4 (PDF download, 316 kB).
We also have a School Travel Plans area on the County Council’s website, with links to related initiatives and processes: Link to School Travel Plans web page.
Supporting and extending this is the work undertaken to support school travel through public transport, in partnership with bus operators. This work is underpinned by paragraphs G.49 - G.57 of the Bus Strategy, which is Appendix G of the LTP: Link to the Bus Strategy (PDF download, 82 kB).
Links to documents explaining specific processes and initiatives relating to school transport are available from the School and College transport area of our website: Link to School and College Transport page.
Our performance in influencing school travel behaviour is monitored by our mandatory mode share of journeys to school indicator, set by the government, and our contributory indicator for percentage of schools with adopted school travel plans.
The target for the first of these, and planned progress towards it, measures the percentage of journeys to school by car as the only pupil; this was reported for the first time to Government in 2007 in our report on Mandatory Indicators as follows:
2006/07: 26.0% (actual)
2007/08: 26.0% 2008/09: 25.0% 2009/10: 24.0% 2010/11: 23.0% The indicator and target for percentage of schools with adopted School Travel Plans, with explanatory information, is set in Chapter 12 of the LTP, paragraphs 12.79 - 12.86: Link to LTP Chapter 12 (PDF download, 280 kB). In 2006/07 a total of 44 schools committed to travel plans, bringing the total in Leicestershire to161. The LTP sets a target for 90% of Leicestershire schools to have a travel plan by 2010/11.
A number of elements go into the development of the Strategy, and these may be of help in informing decision-making by those sending children to school.
The strategy is based on an assessment of pupils’ travel needs, based on how they usually travel, how they prefer to travel, where they live, the locations of schools and any extended schools information.
The following links take you to the information on which this assessment is based.
We operate defined assessment and prioritisation systems for infrastructure measures to assist travel to school. Schemes are aimed at reducing speeds in the vicinity of the school, and can include 20 mph school safety zones, road markings, signing and traffic calming. All depend on a School Travel Plan being in place.
Our aim is to have a school safety zone attached where appropriate to schools with a School Travel Plan.
School Travel Planning is described in paragraph 4.32 onwards in Chapter 4 of our LTP: Link to LTP Chapter 4 (PDF download, 316 kB).
As of 2007, this information is collected via the School Census. There has been a 100% response rate from all schools in Leicestershire.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team: travelawareness@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7178.
Data have been collected from 53% of schools as part of the School Travel Plan programme.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team: travelawareness@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7178.
For further information e-mail: Mike Challands, Database Manager, CYPS: mchallands@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 6637.
The location details of all the maintained primary and secondary schools in Leicester can be found from the following links:
Primary schools: www.leics.gov.uk/index/education/information_about_schools/schools_mapsearch_primary.htm.
Secondary schools: www.leics.gov.uk/index/education/information_about_schools/schools_mapsearch_secondary.htm.
A search facility for independent schools, run by the Independent Schools Council, can be found at http://www.isc.co.uk/SchoolSearch_FindanISCSchool.htm.
Data are collected through the School Travel Plan programme.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team: travelawareness@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7178.
An overview of the Post-16 Travel Partnership is given below in the Infrastructure Audit section.
Data are collected through School Travel Plan programme.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team: travelawareness@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7178.
Leicestershire implements and maintains a wide range of measures to assist travel to school, and this section gives an overview of what is in place.
Most of our school travel provision, both in terms of provision specifically for schools and in terms of more general transport provision which also will be useful for school travel, is laid out in our Local Transport Plan (LTP), and links to relevant chapters are given, together with paragraph references where appropriate. LTP maps are linked to directly.
Our investment over the past few years has resulted in a major improvement in the local bus network, to the extent that three-quarters of rural households, and 95% of all people in Leicestershire, have access to an hourly daytime bus service. The following link takes you to a map showing the network:Link to LTP hourly bus network map (PDF download, 352 kB).
For further details of this network, and information on contracted school bus and taxi routes, either e-mail passengertransport@leics.gov.uk or call the Passenger Transport Helpline on 0116 305 8777.
Walking improvements are dealt with as part of our strategy to improve accessibility in chapter 5 of our Local Transport Plan.
This link takes you to the appropriate chapter, and the relevant paragraphs are 5.128 - 5.145. Link to LTP chapter 5 (PDF download, 935 kB).
There is also a dedicated Rights Of Way section on the County Council's website: Link to Rights of Way web pages
For more details email tsd@leics.gov.uk.
Strategic cycle networkCycling is included in Chapter 4 of the LTP as one of our congestion measures. For the LTP period we are concentrating our efforts on developing cycle links in urban Central Leicestershire and Loughborough, and the following three links take you respectively to the relevant chapter in the LTP, and to the LTP maps for the cycle networks in Urban Central Leicestershire and Loughborough.
Link to LTP Chapter 4 (PDF download, 316 kB)
Link to the Urban Central Leicestershire cycle network map (PDF download, 596 kB)
Link to the Loughborough cycle network map (PDF download, 474 kB)
For more details on the strategic cycle network email its@leics.gov.uk.
Recreational cycle networkThe Rights of Way section on the County Council's website details the numerous cycle trails in the county: Link to Rights of Way web pages.
For more details on the recreational cycle network email footpaths@leics.gov.uk.
A map of the major road and rail links in Leicestershire is given in the LTP: Link to LTP Road and Rail Network Map (PDF download, 401 kB).
Links to details concerning the network hierarchy are given in the Current Barriers section.
InfrastructureIndividual schools identify measures to improve access for their staff and pupils through their School Travel Plans. Measures can include any of a number of options such as 20 mph speed limits, road markings, signing and traffic calming.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team (RSTA): travelawareness@leics.gov.uk , or call 0116 305 7178.
We have maintained a database of Routes to School programme schemes since 2004. For further information on this email its@leics.gov.uk.
Behavioural changeIndividual schools identify measures through their School Travel Plans, and information on such measures as walking buses, car sharing, park & ride/stride, and our Star Walker and Travel Detective initiatives are contained in the Smarter Choices section of the LTP, in Chapter 4, from paragraph 4.28: Link to LTP Chapter 4 (PDF download, 316 kB).
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team (RSTA): travelawareness@leics.gov.uk , or call 0116 305 7178.
For details of locations of existing controlled crossings, please e-mail highwaydesign@leics.gov.uk.
Details on school crossing patrol locations can be obtained from the School Crossing Patrol Service, e-mail jbarradale@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 6515.
Individual schools identify provision through their school travel plans.
For further information email the Road Safety and Travel Awareness Team (RSTA): travelawareness@leics.gov.uk , or call 0116 305 7178.
Comprehensive cycle and pedestrian training schemes are available to all schools, and details on cyclist training are available from our website: Link to cyclist training page
For further information on support received by individual schools email: roadsafety@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7231.
Since 2002 the Learning & Skills Council (LSC) has provided additional funding for local authorities to help young people with the travel aspects of staying in education after they become 16. In Leicestershire the spending of this extra money has been decided through the Post-16 Transport Partnership, a body of various agencies and interested parties. The main activities have been: promoting mobility and independence training for young people with special educational needs; assisting disabled young people with specialist transport; offering help with travel costs through an access fund; promoting communication and publicity about transport availability; offering funds for schools and colleges to request funding for particular transport needs and initiatives, eg most recently to support 13-19 extended curriculum developments; and contributing towards the costs of CCTV on buses to help improve behaviour. The additional LSC funding ceases after 2007/08.
The main initial focus of the education strand of our Accessibility Strategy will be on 16 to 19 year old learners. More details are contained in paragraphs 5.182 - 5.195 in Chapter 5 of the LTP: Link to LTP Chapter 5 (PDF download, 932 kB).
Bespoke courses are available according to need and resources.
For further information on support received by individual schools email: roadsafety@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 7231.
Smarter Choices are schemes and initiatives that either reduce the need to travel or encourage travel behaviour change.
School travel planning is just one of these initiatives in the LTP, and schemes are principally focussed on making travel to school safer, and tackle congestion around schools through School Travel Plan initiatives.
Details are contained in Chapter 4 of the LTP: Link to LTP Chapter 4 (PDF download, 316 kB).
The strategy takes into account those factors which at present can inhibit sustainable travel. The following links identify these elements:
Distance and availability of public transport can inhibit sustainable travel. Using the government's Accession software, we have produced maps illustrating the accessibility to schools in Leicestershire, by showing the areas of the county within 15, 30 and 60 minutes' travel of primary and secondary schools, by foot or bus.
If you have any queries about the plans, please e-mail
Dr. Sonny Tolofari at stolofari@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 7102.
Concerns about road safety can inhibit walking and cycling. However, Leicestershire has one of the lowest serious road casualty rates per head of population in the country, and serious child casualties have reduced by nearly 60% over the past ten years.
Reducing road casualties is one of the six objectives in our LTP. Information on numbers and trends for killed and seriously injured casualties (KSI), child KSI, pedestrian KSI and slight casualties is given in Chapter 6, beginning at paragraph 6.16: Link to LTP Chapter 6 (PDF download, 342 kB).
For further details, and casualty information at specific locations, e-mail tpp@leics.gov.uk.
The LTP contains a map showing locations where congestion occurs on a regular basis: Link to LTP congestion map (JPG image, 308 kB)
If you need further details, please e-mail Dr. Sonny Tolofari at stolofari@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 7102.
We work with schools on preventative education to pre-empt poor behaviour on buses, and retain records of letters to parents where action has been taken as a consequence of poor behaviour.
A leaflet on anti-social behaviour appears on this website: Link to anti-social behaviour leaflet, and further information can be obtained by e-mailing passengertransport@leics.gov.uk.
This could include such elements as lack of pedestrian facilities/crossings/lighting/cycle routes, etc.
If you wish to make enquiries regarding correspondence we have received on these matters, please email its@leics.gov.uk.
Our investment over the past few years has resulted in a major improvement in the local bus network, to the extent that three-quarters of rural households, and 95% of all people in Leicestershire, have access to an hourly daytime bus service. Nevertheless, difficulties could still be experienced with inaccessible stops on bus routes, lack of a service, etc.
If you wish to make enquiries regarding these matters, please email passengertransport@leics.gov.uk.
Details on school crossing patrol locations can be obtained from the School Crossing Patrol Service, e-mail jbarrdale@leics.gov.uk, or call 0116 305 6515.
Poor footway condition can discourage walking, and poor road and cycle track condition can inhibit cycling. However, Leicestershire's roads and more heavily-used footways, including those servicing schools, have been assessed as well-maintained by the Department for Transport.
We commission an annual survey from MORI on customer satisfaction with the highways service, as part of which we receive feedback on satisfaction with the condition of roads and footways.
Satisfaction with the condition of roads was 68% in 2006, and 67% in 2007.
Satisfaction with the condition of pavements rose from 61% in 2006 to 66% in 2007. If you have queries on the MORI surveys, please e-mail htwm@leics.gov.uk.
You can make enquiries about comments made on given stretches of road and pavements by contacting our Roadline freephone number 0800 62 62 03.
Finally, you can find out about our approach to network inspection, testing and recording from our Highway Maintenance Policy and Strategy document, accessible on our website. The relevant section of the document is Section 9, beginning on p.18: Link to the Highway Maintenance Policy and Strategy document (PDF download, 346kB).
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