The idea of Safe Routes to
School has been pioneered in Britain by the pathbuilding charity
Sustrans. It's site has useful background on
Safe Routes and advice on how to start your own group.
In Edinburgh, Safe Routes
have actively been promoted by SPOKES the Lothian Cycle Campaign.
Sciennes School has its own
Safe
Routes Group. This
involves both parents and teachers and is very active in
campaigning for traffic calming and speed reduction around the
school. It also tries to persuade parents to let their children
walk or cycle to school (accompanied by adults or on their own if
they are old enough.) One group of parents has set up a
walking
train.
One result of the actions of
the school and the Safe Routes Group is that the council installed
racks at the school. The school actively encourages children to
cycle. Younger ones can cycle on pavements accompanied by a parent
who may have a buggy to push. Until the racks were installed a few
bikes were left outside the school, but some parents would have
driven their children to school.
Anyone wishing to cycle to
school must fill in a permit form and agree to abide by the
conditions.
The school has recently sent
out a questionnaire, based on the survey developed by Bruntsfield Primary
School, to find out how children get to school and where the think
the danger spots are.
