Interest in Safe Routes among MSPs has increased dramatically in the past week with a Parliamentary Question and Motion being lodged. Lothian Safe Routes has written to all MSPs inviting them to sign the Motion so that Ministers know how many MSPs want to see more money provided for Safe Routes.
Transport and Environment Minister, Sarah Boyack, is due to announce, soon, how she plans to spend the £15.9M extra that resulted from the recent Gordon Brown Budget. Perhaps she will have money for Safe Routes to School or Cycle Training or Home Zones
Motion S1M-815:
The Parliament notes that in 1998 597 children were involved in accidents on their way to and from school, further notes the Scottish Executive document 'Guidance How to Run Safer Routes to School', recognises that the implementation of this document by Local Authorities in partnership with schools, parents, children, the police, health authorities and local communities could drastically reduce the number of said accidents, congratulates Stirling Council for its commitment to 'Safer Routes to School' and urges the Scottish Executive to do every thing in its power to ensure that such schemes are implemented around Scotland.
Sylvia Jackson MSP for Stirling (Labour)
9th May 2000
Written question S1W-6633
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication 'Safer Routes to School' in Dec 1999, how many Safer Routes to School partnership initiatives have been established throughout Scotland and to provide a list of those currently in operation.
Elaine Smith MSP for Coatbridge & Chryston (Labour)
5th May 2000
One of the first consequences of the recent visit to Edinburgh of cycle trainers from York (see below) is that on-road cycle training will now be possible at James Gillespie's Primary School. (On-road training is the prefered method in the Scottish Road Safety Campaign's new Cycle Training Scheme.)
The advice from the Lothian and Borders Police Road Safety Officer was initially that there were no roads near the school considered 'safe'. However one of the people on the trainers' training course asked the York trainers to look at the area around JGPS. They said that if the school had been in York there would be 'no problem'. Concerns had been about the number of parked cars in the area.
Now L&B have reconsidered their decision and children at JGPS will now benefit from training on the roads where they are likely to want to cycle in future - especially if the nearby High School gets its planned bike shed!
Bruntsfield Problems Sorted
Bruntsfield Primary School was one of the first schools in City of Edinburgh Council's Safer Routes Pilot scheme. Unfortunately the good intentions of widening the pavements and narrowing the road resulted in serious drainage problems. Resulting in large puddles (and occasionally sheets of ice). It's taken over 18 months to get remedial work ordered. It was finally carried during the Easter holidays.
Borders moves on Safe Routes
Borders Council is planning to start its own Safer Routes project soon. A meeting has been arranged for Councillors (including Councillors David Suckling, Chair of Education Committee and John Scott, Chair of Technical Services Committee), officials and representatives from the Police and Lothian Safe Routes.
The meeting is being organised by David Sharp, one of the Council's Traffic and Road Safety Engineers. As he says "The Government has just published its road safety targets for the next ten years. High priority is to be given to improving the safety of children, with a target to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries to children. The strategy states that children should be able to walk and cycle in safety. The Scottish Executive has also published guidance on Safer Routes to School, to help bring 'significant improvements to the health, safety, and social development of our children.' In the Borders, the Council last year approved the Local Cycling Strategy which includes policies to encourage walking and cycling."
At present the Council has not budgeted enough money to meet with all the 'Safer Routes' requests that have already started to come in from schools including Lauder Primary. Initially the Council is looking at steps that schools, parents, and others can take to improve conditions for child pedestrians and cyclists at little or no cost. Where there are particular problems it will make plans and carry out work when resources become available.
The meeting will discuss how important 'Safer Routes' are for the Borders, what can be done to change attitudes and what resources are needed to start promoting Safer Routes. Other issues include whether resources should be available across the Borders or concentrated on a few schools where there is greatest demand. This is basically what is happening in Edinburgh with its Safer Routes Project.
Head Teacher tells about cycling to work
Marlene Galashan Head Teacher at Stenhouse Primary School is one of seven people interviewed for a 'bike to work' feature in the new National Cycle Network Magazine from cycle charity Sustrans.
"The first morning I tried cycling to work I was quite apprehensive about it. I laid my things out the night before and I set off pretty early because I didn't know how long it was going to take. I was worried about the route and about how fit `I was to do it. Initially it took me an hour But I improved very quickly and after a few days it became much easier. I tried several different routes and it took me a wee while to sort it out.
I've discovered routes that I didn't know existed. Now I pass the Water of Leith where there's wild garlic and bluebells - the environment is superb, I feel it's countryside. I see swans and ducks and heron and I look out for these things, it's a tonic. It's really nice to be do close to nature early in the day - that's what kept me going.
I started cycling after my husband and I bought bikes. We have a a caravan and we found we could get much more out of the places we visited with the bikes. Then another teacher in the school started cycling to work. I envied her. She has the determination to do it and I thought well why not me too? Now I wouldn't commute any other way."
Copies of the National Cycle Network magazine are available by calling the Sustrans Public Information Line on Tel: 0117 929 0888 or by sending an e-mail to info@sustrans.org.uk.
Trainer Training
As a direct result of experience at Sciennes Primary School one of the schools where the new Cycle Training Scheme (below) was piloted last year, a new Cycle Training initiative has been started in Scotland. It is recognised that on-road training is far more effective than playground training as children get to experience real conditions while being well supervised. Unfortunately Lothian & Borders Police which has the responsibility for CT in the east of Scotland do not have sufficient resources to deliver training and expect schools to find volunteers (usually parents or teachers). Often these are not cyclists and occasionally not even drivers! Training for trainers is usually limited to a couple of hours.
Some Sciennes parents had heard about the training in York which is delivered by trainers employed by the Council. They also heard that basic training for trainers takes three days. So with the help of Millennium Award grants they paid for two trainers (Mieke Jackson and Joe Dobbs) to come up from York this week (April 3-6). Potential trainers from other schools and a variety of Scottish cycling organisations are benefiting from the course (with an advanced course on the fourth day). The result is a group of well trained cyclists keen to pass on their knowledge to children and other potential trainers. There is also a determination to set up a new body to register properly trained trainers and ensure a greatly improved standard of training is available to more children.
The pictures here show the training in progress. The location was chosen as it was close to the Scottish Cyclists Union headquarters where the classroom work took place. The area was obviously a good choice as it turned that it was also used for motorcycle training!
Glasgow City Council is also planning to invite the York Trainers up to strengthen the quality of training it provides. For more details about training or registering trainers Contact Cathy Scott.
If you are thinking about setting up your own train/bus this booklet is a MUST. If you've never even heard of the idea - where children and adults walk the same route to school each day at the same time - this book will be probably be worth a fiver.
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The new scheme strongly encourages on road training. Quiet roads near schools are 'risk assessed' by police and council officials. To warn motorists that young cyclists are being trained signs are placed at appropriate places. There are now over three hundred of these boards in the L&B Police area. Edinburgh and West Lothian have purchased significant numbers.
Lothian Safe Routes is still pressing the Scottish Executive to find funds for PAID cycle trainers. The recent Budget resulted in the Westminster Government allocating "£30m for local authorities to spend on schemes for child safety and safe routes to school, and small scale improvements including bus priority measures". (Press release).
Scotland is waiting for a similar announcement. The latest rumour is that Health Minister Susan Deacon (perhaps impressed by her visit to Portobello High School) has offered to help Transport Minister Sarah Boyack with Cycle Training (though maybe not with any money!). There are still no signs that Education has any real interest in improving the availability and quality of CT.
New Cycle Clubs
Stenhouse Primary School has become the latest school in Edinburgh to start its own cycle club. The initial ride attracted 20 children. They went on a windy four mile ride to the Gallery of Modern Art (mostly on cycle paths). Cycling four miles was probably a first for most of the children - certainly the visit to the GMA was for almost all of them. A second ride is planned for March 26th.
Portobello High School Cycle Club meets for the first time on Friday (10.3.00) for a 'bike check' and discussion about where pupils want to go on their cycle rides. All pupils were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their preferences.
Previous News
Draft Transport Bill Disappoints
Blackhall School Survey
New 'Safer Routes' Schools Selected
Porty Plans Presented to Politicians
New Group Likely at St. Mary's
D. Mains Cycle Club Plans
Government Accepts STAG Report
Safe Routes on Radio 4
Speed Kills: new pamphlet from the SSI
Sciennes sets out detailed 'wish list' to City Development Department 9.1.2000
You and Yours to feature Cycle Training 1.2000
SPOKES Cycle Training Campaign 12.99
New Reports on Safe Routes to School 12.99
Sciennes wins National Competition 12.99
Minister announces Home Zones trials in Scotland 12.99
D. Mains Wish List
Sunday Herald Backs Slow Speeds
Safe Routes Conference Success
Portobello goes for 'Green Transport'
Royal High pupils look to the future
New Director hears about Safe Routes
Sciennes Safe Routes to School Group Reports
Letter in Evening News 24.6.98. calling on David Begg to spend more on SR2S
Surveys at Towerbank and Sighthill