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School Travel Plan |
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Merry Hill School has set up a School Travel Plan to try to tackle the problems of safety and congestion caused by the ‘School Run’. The plan was developed by a committee made up of parents, supported by Hertfordshire County Council. It aims to improve the safety of parents and children who walk to and from school.
School Travel Plan Committee member Sue Martin said, “The School Travel Plan is a strategy to improve the journey to school. It looks at the current situation and identifies problems, which then allows objectives and targets to be set, leading to an improvement.
An action plan is developed to identify partners, time scales, costs and monitoring. It allows the school to prioritise actions and progress can be monitored by the School travel Plan Committee. Development of a Travel Plan facilitates consideration of the schools needs by those who may be able to influence, fund or support the objectives that have been set. It may involve practical initiatives, education input or transport infrastructure changes.
The plan will need to be reviewed regularly to take account of successes, failures and changes in local circumstances. The results may indicate success or new challenges to be met; leading to new objectives and the cycle begins once more.”
Head teacher Mrs Hannibal said, “The school run creates dangerous risks and pollution around school, restricts children’s opportunities to learn to use the roads safely and contributes to local congestion.”
“The increasing numbers of cars on residential roads around Merry Hill School compromises safety and makes life unpleasant for our neighbours. We hope that our Travel Plan will lead to opportunities for children to gain regular healthy exercise and the knowledge, skills and experience to use roads safely.”
“School travel plans are a key element in the Safer Routes to School project and the County Council aims to have travel plans in place in 10% of all schools by 2005”.
Among the first actions of the School Travel Plan Committee was to hold a meeting in Merry Hill School Hall to give all interested parties further information on the likely contents of a School Travel Plan and to gauge local support for a campaign.
Approximately thirty five people attended the meeting, including local residents. At the beginning of the meeting Andy Latcham (Chair of Governors) and Jeff Green (Parent Governor) set the scene by talking about the school’s traffic problems and the difficulties parents and children face in making the journey to school. They also set Merry Hill’s problems in the national context.
Chris Green (parent) then explained how a School Travel Plan works and what the likely benefits are for the children, parents, staff and local residents. Ros Armitage-Brain (Secretary, Residents Association) outlined some of the strategies that had been successful and some which had been less successful in the last Plan.
PC Andy Chittenden advised on safety issues, parking restrictions and traffic management. Councillors Michael Colne and Seamus Quilty were on hand to advise on local authority matters. Mrs Dalziel (Headteacher, Ashfield) and Mrs De Villiers (Headteacher, St Margaret’s) offered their support in co-operating in an area-wide scheme.
Finally, Jeff Green invited support and involvement from others at the meeting and there was a lively discussion about how the road safety problems could be addressed. Two more volunteers (Peter Collyer, parent and Fiona Waloff, parent) volunteered to join our existing School Travel Plan Committee (Jeff and Chris Green, Sue Martin, Karen Parker, Jane Southam and Claire Vignaux).
Mrs Hannibal explained that The School Travel Plan Committee will report back to parents once they have put a draft plan together. Minutes from the first meeting can be found below.
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Minutes Relating to Road Safety Meeting Held at Merry Hill School at 7.45pm on 5th October 2004
1. The Chairman of Governors welcomed Mrs Hannibal, Jeff Green, PC Chittenden, local Councillors, the Headteachers from Ashfield and St Margaret’s Schools and approximately 35 local residents and parents. 2. Mrs Hannibal described the history of this initiative, and reinforced the schools position as a part of the local community and her wish to work alongside the local residents. 3. Mr Jeff Green called for improvements for child safety when arriving at, and leaving school. He recalled a meeting held with the council Travel Plan Co-ordinators, and described the purpose of this plan to those present. He also wished to see what local support the school had to any changes. 4. PC Chittenden stated that the school had been included in the Safer Routes to School scheme 4 years ago, and that the council had now put in place suitable safety measures. He discussed the huge demand for parking and the need to educate parents. He also explained the time constraints on the local Police to enforce parking, as there are currently no traffic wardens employed. 5. Mrs Chris Green informed us of the schools commitment in completing a travel plan, and its benefit in allowing the school to apply for a grant. She called for a reduction in speed of the drivers and possibly new warning signs.
Improvement Measure Suggestions PC Chittenden showed a map of local incidents involving injury (damage only incidents are not reported in the statistics), but explained that Merry Hill sat in a very safe area, therefore it is unlikely that any changes or enforcement would occur. Although he said small inexpensive jobs such as reducing overhanging vegetation could be dealt with relatively easily.
Merry Hill Road and the corner adjoining Whomsoever laneProblems1. Overgrown vegetation limiting the width of the pavement 2. Poor visibility around the bend 3. Excessive speed of drivers (used as a “rat run”) 4. Wheelie bins obstructing the pavements 5. Unsafe crossing area due to poor visibility round the bend and drivers speed.
Possible solutions1. Cut back the overgrown vegetation. PC Chittenden to contact highways maintenance to arrange. 2. Place mirrors on the bend. This was felt not to be suitable, as it would increase the speed of drivers if they thought the road ahead was clear. 3. a. The bend. It was felt the bend itself reduced drivers’ speed. b. Warning signs. The opinion was that the regular road users would ignore them and they would not be effective. c. Speed humps. These are very costly and could not be justified. PC Chittenden said it was also not possible due to the lay out of the roads, and because the route was used by coaches. d. Phased traffic lights. Too costly. e. Advise parents of alternative routes and speed reduction. This could be done as part of the ongoing education of parents. f. Alternative routes and speed reduction of coaches. Staff at St. Margaret’s to speak with the coach companies about this. 4. Wheelie bins to be placed close to the property boundaries. Local councillors to speak to the refuse dept. to ensure bins are returned back to the property considerately. 5. a. Pelican crossing. Not feasible due to poor visibility on the approach. b. Lollipop lady. Not enough people crossing to justify, and difficulty recruiting. c. Crossing zone. Drivers would not take any notice, difficult to enforce.
School LaneProblems1. Cars driving on the pavement to avoid other cars. 2. Road sign in centre of pavement.
Possible solutions1. a. Bollards or railings. PC Chittenden to investigate the possibility of installing bollards or railings. b. One-way system. There was a resounding no to this, as it was felt that traffic speed would increase. 2. Move the sign. PC Chittenden to see if the sign could be moved.
Outside School Problems1. Parking obstructions 2. Parking on the yellow lines.
Possible Solutions1. a. Advise parents to park away from the immediate vicinity of school. Advise that there is plenty of space in Merry Hill Mount and Victoria Road. b. Ask residents to allow space on the pavements for pedestrians. c. Use the Horse and Chains Pub car park. Mrs Hannibal is to ask if parents could use the car park for dropping off. d. Walking bus. Parents were reluctant to do this while they felt the roads and pavements were posing a risk to child safety. 2. Parent education. It was also noted that residents’ parking was part of the problem in this area.
No further meeting was planned at this time. Jeff Green thanked those attending.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.
News Updates from Merry Hill Matters
Issue 17 - 17th September 2004 Road Safety A group of parents (Mr and Mrs Green, Mrs Martin, Mrs Parker, Mrs Southern and Mrs Vignaux) and I met with representatives from County yesterday to discuss the school’s concerns regarding road safety around Merry Hill.
It was a very productive meeting and we will be contacting parents shortly with further information regarding a public meeting for parents, local residents, PC Chittenden, Council representatives and other interested parties.
Issue 18 - 24th September 2004 Road Safety - Public Meeting, 5th October Further to my note in the last ‘Merry Hill Matters’ I have included below a letter from Jeff Green, Parent Governor, concerning an open meeting about Road Safety. Please use the attached reply slip to let me know if you are able to attend.
I am writing to you as a Parent Governor at Merry Hill Infant School and Nursery to advise you of current initiatives currently being taken to improve the safety of parents and children who walk to and from school.
As you will be aware, there is strong government support, at both national and local level, for “walk-to-school” schemes and Merry Hill is keen to play its part in this important campaign. However, safety of children and their parents is jeopardised by the absence of effective traffic calming measures in Merry Hill Road and by the parking arrangements in front in School Lane.
In order to tackle these two issues, a group of parents are very likely to draw up a “School Travel Plan”, with the aid of Hertfordshire County Council, which will go a long way towards improving the general safety of children and their parents. Concurrent with this, it is felt that a campaign for the introduction of traffic calming measures in Merry Hill Road in particular could also yield significant benefits.
In order to give all interested parties further information on the likely contents of a School Travel Plan and to gauge local support for a campaign along the lines identified above, a meeting is being convened in the School Hall at 7.45pm on 5th October.
AGENDA FOR THE MEETING Opening remarks and introductions Background (including summary of points raised during meeting with Herts County Council on 16th September) Aim of the meeting School Travel Plan Potential traffic calming scheme: Proposed location (s) Proposed traffic calming measures Proposed Way-Ahead Any other business Date of next meeting (if required)
Please do come along to the meeting if you possibly can. We have invited PC Chittenden, representatives from Hertsmere Council, local residents and other interested parties, so this will be your opportunity to make your views known.
Issue 19 - October 1st 2004 At Merry Hill Infant School and Nursery we are committed to ensuring that everyone travelling to and from the school can do so as safely as possible. We are therefore setting up a ‘School Travel Plan’ to try and tackle the problems of safety and congestion caused by the school run.
Please would you help us to investigate travel patterns to our school by completing the questionnaire which comes with this issue of Merry Hill Matters?
Having a School Travel Plan in place will allow the school to apply for a Government grant which may be worth several thousand pounds.
Please could we have the questionnaires returned to school by Friday 8th October?
Issue 20 - October 8th 2004 Road Safety Meeting Approximately thirty five people attended our road safety meeting this week, including local residents. At the beginning of the meeting Andy Latcham (Chair of Governors) and Jeff Green (Parent Governor) set the scene by talking about the school’s traffic problems and the difficulties parents and children face in making the journey to school. They also set Merry Hill’s problems in the national context.
Chris Green (parent) then explained how a School Travel Plan works and what the likely benefits are for the children, parents, staff and local residents. Ros Armitage-Brain (Secretary, Residents Association) outlined some of the strategies that had been successful and some which had been less successful in the last Plan.
PC Andy Chittenden advised on safety issues, parking restrictions and traffic management. Councillors Michael Colne and Seamus Quilty were on hand to advise on local authority matters. Mrs Dalziel (Headteacher, Ashfield) and Mrs De Villiers (Headteacher, St Margaret’s) offered their support in co-operating in an area-wide scheme.
Finally, Jeff Green invited support and involvement from others at the meeting and there was a lively discussion about how the road safety problems could be addressed. Two more volunteers (Peter Collyer, parent and Fiona Waloff, parent) volunteered to join our existing School Travel Plan team (Jeff and Chris Green, Sue Martin, Karen Parker, Jane Southam and Claire Vignaux).
The School Travel Plan Team will report back to parents once they have put a draft plan together.
Minutes from the meeting are on the website www.merryhill.org.uk
Issue 23 - November 5th 2004 Junction of School Lane and Merry Hill Road Our open meeting with residents and our work on the School Travel Plan regarding road safety around the school has already reaped rewards. Extra money is going to be pumped into the road safety budget this year, meaning that visibility improvements at the junction of School Lane and Merry Hill Road can go ahead.
Work has already begun on assessing the junction and there will be consultation with the residents who will be affected by the proposals in the New Year. In the meantime, if any parents would like to make their views known, please write to the School Travel Plan Committee at the school who will pass your letters on to Hertfordshire County Council.
Issue 25 - November 19th 2004 Travel Plan Update The School Travel Plan Committee have now analysed the parent questionnaires and the results will shortly be on display in the outside notice board. Thank you for your excellent response to this questionnaire - we had 100 replies out of a family base of 190.
Following on from this, the overgrown hedges at the sharp bend on Merry Hill Road have now been cut back, freeing up the pavement for pedestrians. We anticipate that more improvements will be made in the roads around Merry Hill in the future. We are now well on our way to meeting the requirements for our application for a local authority grant to support safer routes to school. As soon as there are further developments we will let you know.
Issue 31 - January 14th 2005 Message from the Travel Plan Committee “Thank you to all parents for your continued support towards making the journey to school safer. We are aware that recent events have fuelled peoples concerns regarding road safety in the immediate vicinity of the school.
Our aim is that Merry Hill is committed to ensuring that everyone travelling to and from school can do so as safely as possible. We encourage those travelling to the school to use environmentally friendly modes of transport. We aim to reduce the amount of traffic immediately outside the school, and to encourage those parents who drive to 'park and walk'.
Over the past few days there have been a number of questions asked about road safety plans. We hope to shortly include the answers to some of those frequently asked questions.
In the meantime, please try to avoid using School Lane when arriving at, or leaving, school. Don't forget Merry Hill Mount and Victoria Road are only a 1 minute walk from the school and offer a large number of parking spaces.”
Issue 32 - January 21st 2005 School Travel Plan Drawing Competition Would you like to design a poster? Here’s your chance! Draw a picture about what getting to school healthily and safely means to you. Is it holding hands? Is it having a safe place to cross? Is it walking some of the way? Remember our motto, “Park and Walk.”
Use A4 paper, portrait, and make sure you write your name and class on the back. Put your poster in the box in the school reception area, by Monday 7th February.
Are there prizes? Yes! There will be one for each year group and an overall winner, which will be used in all of our publicity. Good luck to you all!
Issue 33 - January 28th 2005 School Travel Plan - Frequently Asked Questions The School Travel Plan is being formulated to try to tackle the issues of safety and congestion caused by journeys to and from school. Many of the “Frequently Asked Questions” about the Travel Plan were dealt with at the Road Safety Meeting on 5th October and are covered below.
1. Can something be done to stop cars mounting the pavement in School Lane? PC Chittenden is looking at the possibility of installing bollards or railings in the problem areas (most notably opposite Ashfield School). Street furniture of this type would also have to accommodate the needs of local residents. In the meantime parents are reminded that it is illegal (and extremely dangerous) to mount the curb or drive on the pavement. The Travel Plan Committee recommends that parents avoid School Lane.
2. Can anything be done to keep the pavements clear of obstacles? Many parents have difficulty negotiating the pavements in the area, most notably because of wheelie bins and other large objects blocking their path. The School Travel Plan will endeavour to pass on information to local residents about ways in which they can help improve safety around the school, and the importance of keeping the pavements clear will be highlighted to them.
3. Why don’t we have any “lollipop ladies”? It is difficult to recruit school crossing wardens and impossible to identify specific points near the school where enough people cross to justify the positioning of a crossing warden. 4. Why are the parking restrictions outside school not better enforced? PC Chittenden and the local police are committed to helping the school with enforcement. However, the local council does not employ traffic wardens and the amount of time the police can make available to parking enforcement duties is very limited. Parents and local residents need to consider the safety of the children (rather than the risk of a fine) and respect the parking restrictions outside school.
5. Why don’t we have a one-way traffic system? A one-way system in the Merry Hill Area would certainly reduce congestion at the beginning and end of the school day but would also result in an increase in traffic speed. PC Chittenden and the Travel Plan Committee believe that this would not serve the primary aim of the Travel Plan, the safety of children and parents.
6. Can we have speed humps in Merry Hill Road? Parents approaching the school from Whomsoever Lane have noted that some drivers travel at excessive speeds in Merry Hill Road (it is a popular “rat run” when the High Street is congested). Many options have been discussed with PC Chittenden but at present there are no practical solutions. Speed humps or designated crossing points are considered too costly and impractical considering the current road layout and the parking requirements of local residents. The police have conducted a survey of traffic speed in Merry Hill Road and their figures do not support the view that this is a serious problem. Issue 37 – March 4th 2005 Travel Plan Update Many thanks to all the parents who filled in the recent form regarding the School Travel Plan Grant. Thirty one forms were returned of which twenty nine voted in favour of using the grant to build a shelter. One parent suggested incorporating a bike stand in the shelter. This will certainly be considered in the design if our grant application is successful. Other notable suggestions were to use the funds to provide a crossing warden and /or a traffic warden. Unfortunately the grant cannot be used for either of these as it is intended to provide funds for a capital project inside the school. However, the problems of crossing School Lane and the number of illegally parked cars near the school will both be highlighted in the Travel Plan, and the Transport Committee, together with the council and local police force, will be working to find solutions to these problems in the coming months. Peter Collyer, Travel Plan Coordinator
If you have other questions please pass them to the school office, marked “For the Attention of the Travel Committee” and they will be answered in a future bulletin. |