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Children, teachers and parents at Sciennes Primary have been working on a Safe Routes project since 1997. The aim is to encourage more families to walk and cycle to school and to campaign for facilities that will enable them to do so. Families have been asked how they travel to school, where the danger points are and how we can make walking and cycling to school safer.
Why walk or cycle to school?
It's healthy. Walking and cycling are good exercise. It can
sometimes be difficult to find the time to take the regular physical
exercise that is vital to our health and well-being. Using the
journey to school is a good way of fitting exercise into a busy
life.
Fit and healthy children are better equipped to cope with school work and less likely to be off school through sickness. Walking and cycling are good for Mum and Dad too!
It wakes you up! Good for filling your lungs with oxygen and
getting you ready for the day.
You breathe in less
pollution. Studies have shown
that cyclists and pedestrians breathe in less pollution than those in
the cars alongside. This is because, in traffic, the air intake for
cars is directly behind the exhaust of the car in front.
It helps to make it safer for everyone
else. By walking and cycling
you are part of a virtuous circle. Because you are not travelling by
car, the roads are safer so that more people will walk and cycle so
… the roads are safer…
But I don't think that it's safe for my child to walk!
We believe that young children should be accompanied to school. These journeys can be a good time to teach and practice good habits such as finding a safe place to cross, waiting for the green man or lollipop lady before crossing etc. Then when children are older and do want to walk on their own they will have a sound grasp of road safety and you will be aware of their capabilities. They will also have walked the route many times with an adult and be familiar with the safest route to school.
The journey to school is always the responsibility of parents and it is up to each parent to decide when their child is old enough to travel to school unaccompanied.
For those children who are not yet old enough we would like to encourage more families to walk to school together and to make it safer for them to do so.
Several families in the West Savile Terrace/McDowall Road area have got together to form a walking bus so that parents share the escorting of children to school on a rota basis. If you live in this area and are interested in joining, please contact Jane Tupper (667-) or Richard Fisher (667-). If you are interested in setting up a new walking bus from a different starting point please contact Cathy Scott (667-6740) and we will try to get families together.
And cycling must be really dangerous!
On a busy road or at a very busy junction, yes, it can be dangerous and we would not recommend that children cycle on their own on such roads. The safest way for children to cycle to school is in the company of a responsible adult and on a carefully chosen route on quiet roads. If you have to cross a busy road and there is no cycle crossing, consider getting off and walking across, using a pedestrian crossing if there is one. Children must have good control of brakes and steering. Don't choose a busy weekday to make the journey by bike for the first time. Practice on quiet, sunny weekends first and don't tackle the big journey until you are sure that both you and your child are ready. Very young children should cycle on the pavement. Again, they must have good control of brakes and steering so that they stop safely before crossing roads. Encourage them to cycle slowly and to be considerate towards pedestrians.
Again it must be emphasised that the journey to school is always the responsibility of parents. Parents themselves must decide if their own child is ready to cycle to school, the route that should be taken and if or when their child is capable of cycling unaccompanied.
The school is committed to providing quality Cycling Proficiency training for all children in Primary 6 and 7. Parents of children throughout the school are encouraged to volunteer to help with this so that they can also learn about safe cycling and practice this with their own children.
The school has cycle racks so that bikes can be locked up under cover. If your child would like to cycle to school then you must fill in a form for a cycling permit. Parents are advised to take out appropriate insurance cover as the school's insurance does not cover loss of or damage to bicycles. Pupils are advised to wear a correctly fitted cycle helmet and use appropriate reflective clothing and bike lights when visibility is poor.
A number of parents at Sciennes have a variety of bike attachments such as trailer-bikes or bike-trailers. Trailer-bikes are useful for children that have outgrown a child's bike seat but are not yet ready to cycle on the roads on their own bike. Bike-trailers are great for young children especially when there are two children to be carried on one adult bike. If you would like a factsheet about these contact Cathy Scott. A local bike shop hires out these attachments and often gives Sciennes parents a special discount rate during Environment Weeks.
Please take care when driving!
If you will be driving to the school, please be very aware of children trying to cross the roads. Children are not as tall as adults and so not as visible. The large number of cars near the school makes it difficult for children to see the road clearly, especially when cars are parked on the yellow lines at junctions. For this reason please avoid parking at junctions and please drive slowly!
If you would like to join us or if you have any comments please write to us: c/o Sciennes Safe Routes to School, Sciennes Primary School, Sciennes Road, Edinburgh EH9 1LG or phone Cathy Scott 667 6740, Kim Samouelle 667 5380 or email Cathy Scott at thistle@btinternet.com
