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The Bruntsfield Primary Safe Routes To School campaign brings together parents and teachers interested in reducing the impact of cars on the neighbourhood and improving the environment for pupils and the community around the school. Our aims are to:-
1. Enable children to be safe and to feel safe walking or cycling to and from school.
2. Encourage parents to consider alternatives to driving their children to school.
3. Improve pedestrian and road safety and environmental quality for all in the neighbourhood.
OBJECTIVES
Practical Measures:
Improve pedestrian access and facilities in the neighbourhood and encourage people to reduce car use, especially parents on the school run,
Reduce vehicle speeds and provide safe road crossing facilities for children and the elderly.
Promoting Awareness:
Support classroom activities which give children road safety skills and understanding of the health benefits of walking and cycling,
Promote awareness of the wider health and environmental issues associated with traffic.
Partnership with Others:
Build links within our community in Bruntsfield and with other schools in Edinburgh,
Join with the School Management, PTA and School Board to seek action from elected representatives and officers of the City Council, The Scottish Office and other bodies.
BACKGROUND
The campaign draws on the experience of other schools - especially those in the pilot projects set up by Sustrans, a small, practical charity designing and building safe routes for walkers, cyclists and people with disabilities and those working with SPOKES the Lothian cycle campaign. We seek to complement the City of Edinburgh Council's Moving Forward Transportation Strategy.
An informal group of parents and teachers have been meeting since autumn 1996. Discussions have already been held with City Council officials and members of the group have participated in the Marchmont, Sciennes and Merchiston Area City Development Group.
We recognise that this is a long term campaign - but one which complements many other initiatives to improve the quality of life in the city. For further information please write to us:
c/o PTA Mailbox, Bruntsfield Primary School Office, Montpelier, Edinburgh EH10 4NA or phone (0131) Frank Howie 229 8128 (e-mail), Deborah Harris 447 2701, David Somervell 447 7862 (e-mail) or Rusty Francis 229 3314.
In the 1997 summer term the group produced a questionnaire. These are the key results.
Survey Forms were issued to over 500 pupils at Bruntsfield Primary School in May 97. This summary is based on analysis of 186 returns. A greater proportion of the Lower School responded with under-representation of Primary 6 and 7. More girls (60%) than boys responded.
The initial questions asked how and how far pupils travel to school.
Four fifths of the pupils (78%) reckon they live within one mile of school and only 9% live more than 2 miles from school. 11% live between one and two miles from school.
At present three-quarters of the children (74%) walk to school , 5% travel by bus and less than one in five (20%) travel by car with. Only 1% currently cycle to school. (Cycle racks due early in '98 should increase this figure).
Nearly two thirds (58%) of these journeys are accompanied by an adult. Where car was used the most common reason given (by 30 parents) was that they were going on to work or study.
The average age children started walking to school unaccompanied was 8.2 years.
Pupils were then asked how they would like to get to and from school.
Fewer (12%) wish to travel by car, 6% wish to travel by bus and 54% wish to continue walking.
A quarter of children (26%) said they wished to cycle to school .
27% of parents and pupils felt that their journey was unsafe in some respect.
A long and detailed list of comments has been compiled and these are available from the School Office, Bruntsfield Primary School, Montpelier, Edinburgh EH10 4NA, or from David Somervell, (H 0131 447 7862 W 650 2073) (e-mail).
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Tel: 0131 313 2114 (a/phone only) or e-mail to spokes@btinternet.com