REPORT AGENDA ITEM 12 LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL HIGHWAYS FORUM FOR HARBOROUGH 15 TH DECEMBER 2010 SCHOOL TRAVEL PLANS – UPDATE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORT Introduction 1. The purpose of this report is to update Members of the Forum on the progress being made within the County on developing School Travel Plans and the implementation of associated highway schemes. Background 2. The County Council has been working with schools to develop travel plans through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) since March 2000. School Travel Plans aim to reduce the number of cars arriving at the school gate, mainly by developing initiatives to improve the safety and convenience of alternative travel modes. 3. The LTP sets out a target for 90% of schools in Leicestershire to have completed a travel plan by the end of 2010/11. 4. In September 2003, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) launched the ‘Travelling to School Initiative’. A government grant was paid to each school, up to March 2010, when its travel plan was approved (excluding independent schools). Grants for primary and secondary schools differed. The grant for primary schools was £3,750 plus £5 per pupil and for secondary schools it was £5,000 plus £5 per pupil. This grant was to be spent within the school to promote sustainable travel and cannot be spent on the highway. The grant is no longer available to any school developing a travel plan in 2010/11. At the time of writing this report, an announcement to clarify the Department for Education's position on overdue payment of the grant to schools who developed Travel Plans in 2009/10 is awaited. 5. The Council under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, has a statutory duty to promote sustainable travel to school. Progress to Date 6. By the end of 2009/10, 248 (80%) schools in Leicestershire had developed a Travel Plan. Those schools are listed in Appendix A. 7. There are currently 311 schools in Leicestershire. During the current programme of work (2010/11), a further 33 (10.5%) schools have been targeted or are in the process of developing a travel plan. A list of these can be found in Appendix B. 1 E:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000709\M00002874\AI00027093\$otxaojgn.doc 8. The LTP has set out the following targets for the whole of Leicestershire for the percentage of schools to have completed a travel plan. The comparison of actual achievement has been added and, to date, the set targets are being exceeded. Year 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 Target 12% 24% 36% 48% 59% 70% 80% 90% Actual 12% 25% 38% 53% 64% 72% 80% - 9. Schools are encouraged to review their travel plans and the onus is on them to keep the plans updated as part of continuous development. The remaining schools which have yet to commit to developing a travel plan are found in Appendix C. 10. Many schools that develop a travel plan identify highway improvement measures, which the County Council deliver through its ‘Safer Routes to School’ (SRTS) programme. To date, 180 schools have requested measures other than an advisory 20mph zone. Of these, 58 schools have either benefited from a highway scheme being delivered or have a scheme identified in the current capital programme. A list of the schools and the type of scheme delivered can be found in Appendix D. Funding Levels & Criteria 11. The aim of the County Council’s SRTS programme is to build a safer, more accessible highway network for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Funding for the SRTS programme comes under the objective of tackling congestion; therefore schemes are considered on the basis of the potential for modal shift. Schools identify in their travel plan the number of pupils who live within 1 mile (for primary) and 2 miles (for secondary) and yet travel to school by car. This enables the County Council to prioritise potential schemes by identifying those with the highest number of car users and the scope to increase walking or cycling to school. 12. The County Council will investigate whether or not such measures are appropriate or feasible and will seek to implement them where schools can demonstrate a commitment to the travel plan. The LTP has set out the following funding for the ‘Routes to School’ programme for Leicestershire Outturn Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Prices £000s 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 Total Routes to 520 540 510 520 575 2710 School 13. In appropriate locations, funding for schools is also sought from external sources including Sustrans and developers. 14. In conjunction with the above, the Council is operating a programme of advisory 20 mph zones outside schools throughout the LTP period. The criteria for this programme are based on schools having developed a travel plan and identifying speed of traffic as a major issue for its pedestrians and cyclists. Schemes are prioritised on an assessment of their benefit, as well as the level of commitment shown by the school in its travel plan. By 2009/10 approximately 150 school advisory 20 mph zones were introduced with a further 45 programmed for 2010/11. 2 E:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000709\M00002874\AI00027093\$otxaojgn.doc 15. The SRTS programme is also supported by a programme of cycling improvements, concentrated mainly in the Central Leicestershire and Loughborough areas. The development of improved cycle links is accompanied by grant assistance to schools across the County towards cycle parking Programme Outcomes 16. The DfT has identified modal shift as a key indicator of a School Travel Plan’s effectiveness. A mechanism was put in place in autumn 2006 as part of the Annual School Census to collect the data necessary to monitor effectiveness and this has enabled the County Council to set the baseline for its modal shift targets in 2007. Modal shift is monitored in terms of the percentage of pupils travelling by car (sole passenger) aged 5-15. 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 Base Target 26% 25% 24% 23% Actual 26.2% 25.5% 24.6% 23.5% 17. Since 2008/09, the number of children travelling by car to school within a mile of their home has reduced from 10332 (13.2%) to 9522 (12.2%). Future Development 18. One of the core themes for LTP3 will be getting more from the current walking, cycling and bus network. School Travel Plans will play a key role in this by engaging with pupils and parents to encourage walking and cycling. Innovative initiatives, such as the successful Star Walker scheme and cycle challenge events, will be promoted in schools to help them tackle the “school run”. They will also contribute to developing local partnerships, particularly with the health sector in promoting physical activity at school. 19. A more detailed programme development for the SRTS programme in 2011/12 and beyond depends on Government announcements on what funding will be available to the County Council. As and when this is known, a programme will be developed following a broadly similar process to previous years, but reflecting the emerging approach mapped out for LTP3 Equal Opportunities Implications 20. Measures to address school travel are specifically designed to reduce road danger or improve access for vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians, cyclists, disabled people, and the very old and very young. Recommendations 21. It is recommended that Members note the contents of this report. 3 E:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000709\M00002874\AI00027093\$otxaojgn.doc Officer to Contact Jonathan O’Farrell Tel: 0116 305 0001 School Travel Plan Co-ordinator Email: [email protected] Background Papers DfT Guidance – Travelling to School: An Action Plan (DfT/DfES 2003) 4 E:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000709\M00002874\AI00027093\$otxaojgn.doc APPENDIX A (15th. Dec. 2010) Schools Which Have Developed a Travel Plan Blaby School D.f.E. No. District STPCompleted Cosby Primary School 2029 Blaby 01-Sep-02 Kilby St Mary's C of E Primary School 3307 Blaby 01-Mar-03 Countesthorpe Greenfield Primary School 2003 Blaby 01-Mar-04 Glen Parva Glen Hills Primary School 2322 Blaby 01-Mar-04 Kirby Muxloe Primary School 2055 Blaby 23-Feb-05 Sapcote All Saints C of E Primary School 3314 Blaby 17-Mar-05 Whetstone Badgerbrook Primary School 2170 Blaby 21-Mar-05 Braunstone Kingsway Primary School 2181 Blaby 24-Mar-05 Glenfield Primary School 2349 Blaby 20-Mar-06 Countesthorpe Community College 4050 Blaby 12-Mar-07 Blaby Thistly Meadow Primary School 2115 Blaby 16-Mar-07 Whetstone St Peter's C of E Primary School 3321 Blaby 27-Mar-07 Braunstone Millfield Community School 2133 Blaby 28-Mar-07 Braunstone Ravenhurst Primary School 2375 Blaby 29-Mar-07 Glenfield The Hall School 2345 Blaby 29-Mar-07 Narborough Greystoke Primary School 2076 Blaby 30-Mar-07 Huncote Community Primary School 2173 Blaby 03-Jan-08 Stoney Stanton Manorfield C of E Primary School 3087 Blaby 14-Mar-08 Sharnford C of E Primary School 3078 Blaby 28-Mar-08 Narborough Red Hill Field Primary School 2358 Blaby 31-Mar-08 Blaby Stokes C of E Primary School 3012 Blaby 20-Mar-09 Countesthorpe Leysland High School 4054 Blaby 24-Mar-09 Enderby Danemill Primary School 2141 Blaby 24-Mar-09 Enderby Brockington College 4506 Blaby 27-Mar-09 Leic Forest East Stafford Leys Community Primary 2146 Blaby 27-Mar-09 Croft Church of England Primary School 3027 Blaby 09-Mar-10 Narborough The Pastures Primary School 2380 Blaby 09-Mar-10 Braunstone Winstanley Community College 4038 Blaby 31-Mar-10 1 E:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000709\M00002874\AI00027093\$otxaojgn.doc APPENDIX A (15th.