Walk to School Week goes global

About 200 schools from across Derbyshire will join schools from the USA to Australia as part of the International Walk to School Week during week commencing 4 October.

Children, parents and teachers will be ditching the car in an effort to promote the benefits of walking to school.

Participating children will receive stickers, bookmarks and travel survey sheets as well as a list of websites they can log on to for some interactive fun.

See next week's issue for more detailed coverage and photos of International Walk to School Week.

1-0 to Road Safety

It was a home-win for Preston North End and Road Safety at the weekend, in the first match of the season to be sponsored by Lancashire County Council's Road Safety Group.

The home team's 1-0 win against Crewe kicked off this season's sponsorship activity in support of the DfT's THINK! Campaign, and proved popular with fans.

Drivers were reminded to 'Switch Off B4 U Drive Off' with the Preston squad sporting t-shirts carrying the 'Switch Off' message for their pre-match warm-up. Fans were also given key rings and tax disc holders reminding them not use their mobile in the car.

For further information contact Stephen Axon on 01772 533194, stephen.axon@css.lancscc.gov.uk

Interactive signs for accident danger spots

Bedfordshire County Council is set to install interactive signs at bends and junctions across the county where collisions have resulted from drivers misjudging their approach speed (Surveyor, 23 September).

The first two signs, to warn drivers they are travelling too fast, were installed on the A603 to enforce a new 50mph limit introduced on a section of a busy east-west route linking Bedford with the A1.

Bedfordshire road safety engineer Simon Deards said the scheme, which also includes solar-powered road studs, would 'provide drivers with additional information about the road layout with a view to creating self explaining roads'.

One sign, for traffic leaving the village of Willington, is triggered by vehicles travelling at in excess of 45mph or 50mph - depending on specific site conditions and vehicle alignment.

Seatbelt consultation paper - views invited

The DfT has published a consultation document relating to seatbelt wearing in coaches and buses by passengers aged three years or over.

This is as a result of Directive 2003/20/EC in 2003, in which EC Member States are required, no later than 9 May 2006, to extend compulsory seat belt wearing to all passengers aged three years and above in buses and coaches where a restraint is provided.

However, nothing in the Directive or in the proposals requires seat belts to be installed, or worn where they are not already required to be fitted - for example, in buses that are designed to carry standing passengers.
 
This item will be raised at the LARSOA Plenary Meeting on 12 October. Anyone with comments they would like to have taken into consideration when LARSOA's response is formulated please send them to me Brian Hogarth, secretary, brian.hogarth@tiscali.co.uk.

Transport 2000 slams car-free day

Car-free day has become 'little more than a street party' because local authorities are failing to follow up the event with measures to permanently reduce traffic, according to Transport 2000 (Surveyor, 23 September).

Rather than using the day to test the water for measures to cut car use and encourage people to walk or cycle, the day has become 'little more than lightweight tokenism' to the need to reduce car dependency.

Transport 2000 has called for the annual event to be used by councils to introduce 20mph zones and traffic calming, road closures, or networks of home zones or safe routes to school.

Lincolnshire Partnership launches Employers Charter

The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership is launching The Employers' Charter at a conference to be held at Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire on Wednesday 3 November.

The Charter has been developed to increase awareness of MORR issues among small and medium sized employers.

The cost of attending the conference, Driving risk out of your business , is £37.50 plus VAT to include refreshments and a free copy of the LARSOA 'Driving your business risk down' CD.

Plymouth plans home zones across the city

A UK home zones pioneer is planning to include the calming scheme in all future housing developments - because its first project has reduced crime, cut traffic speeds and volume, and won design accolades (Surveyor, 23 September).

Plymouth City Council has already identified three further areas to introduce home zones after the success of its £2.3m scheme to redesign streets in Morice Town, which has created a better balance between pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

The project, jointly funded by the DfT, the council and the single regeneration budget, has reduced the amount of traffic by 40 per cent and cut average speeds from 26mph to 13mph since its introduction in June 2003.

SCP campaign reminds drivers of responsibilities

A campaign to remind Suffolk motorists of their responsibilities when travelling through school crossing patrol sites was launched on 27 September. Suffolk County Council is one of 12 local authorities in the Eastern Region that supported the week-long campaign.  

Drivers are legally bound by the 1984 Road Traffic Act to stop when requested to do so by a SCP. Failure to stop can result in a fine of up to £1,000, penalty points on a licence and even the loss of a licence.

The campaign message was: "School Crossing Patrol Officers provide a valuable service to the local community by working to keep our children safe on their journey to and from school. Selfish drivers who do not stop when requested to do so put others at risk.

"If your car journey takes you through a patrolled area please allow a little extra time, slow down and be prepared and willing to stop when requested to do so by the patrol officer."

For further information contact Mary Jarrett, Suffolk's school crossing patrol manager, Mary.Jarrett@et.suffolkcc.gov.uk.