14 December 2004
NORTHERN IRELAND’S FIRST SCHOOL SAFETY ZONE LAUNCHED
The Department for Regional Development’s Roads Service, today launched the first School Safety Zone in Northern Ireland, at St Joseph's College, Belfast.
A School Safety Zone is on the public road adjacent to a school, which is specially designed to highlight its location and provide a safer environment, through road improvements and traffic calming measures, for the pupils.
Safer Routes to School is an initiative aimed at reducing the impact of the 'school run' by encouraging children who want to walk, cycle and use public transport to get to school. Work involves improvements to the public road, such as traffic calming measures, as well as work inside the school grounds to provide cycle paths and shelters, lockers as well as bus turning circles.
John Spellar, Minister with responsibility for the Department for Regional Development said: "The Safer Routes to School initiative was driven by the Northern Ireland School Travel Advisory Group. The programme assesses how we, in Northern Ireland, might reduce the impact of the 'school run,’ which accounts for nearly 20% of the traffic on the road at 8.50am each morning. This initiative encourages children and young people who want to walk, cycle or use public transport on the journey to and from school.
"Sustrans deserves special mention for their commitment and energy in promoting sustainable modes of travel. Their enthusiasm is obviously infectious, given the success which is apparent at St Joseph’s."
DRD Roads Service developed the School Safety Zone in partnership with the Department of Education, DOE Road Safety Branch, the Health Promotion Agency, Sustrans, the Sustainable Transport Charity and Translink.
Announcing an expansion of the scheme, the Minister said: "I want to encourage more schools to participate and that is why I am expanding the Safer Routes to Schools initiative. The next stage will involve a fast-track approach by embracing a two-staged delivery. The first stage is an Accelerated Programme, which will include a range of work involving traffic management improvements, cycling facilities and infrastructure, including school based education and awareness briefings that encompasses road safety training and opportunities for starting car sharing schemes.
"Following the implementation of the Accelerated Programme, a number of schools will be able to progress to the more detailed Enhanced Programme of work, that will include the School Safety Zone, cycle lanes, footpaths and public transport provision inside school grounds. The Enhanced Programme will be delivered through a School Travel Plan."
Road Safety Minister, Angela Smith, lent her support to Safer Routes to Schools by confirming the Government's commitment to the Northern Ireland Road Safety Strategy. Angela Smith said: "I am pleased to be associated with the announcement of the first School Safety Zone, and I hope this will be the first of many, which can assist the control of speed and deliver a safer environment in and around schools."
Education Minister, Barry Gardiner, also supported the scheme and said: "The Safer Routes to Schools pilots have demonstrated very effectively the progress that can be made in getting pupils to walk, cycle or use public transport for their journey to school. The support and involvement of teachers has been key to the success of the pilots and I congratulate the schools involved. I would encourage other schools to become involved".
Speaking at the event, Dr Malcolm McKibbin, Chief Executive of Roads Service, congratulated Mrs Michele Marken, Principal of St Joseph's College, which was one of the first, of six schools, involved in Safer Routes to Schools, to develop a School Travel Plan. This sets out a range of measures for reducing the number of car trips made to school by children, parents and staff and options for improving safety on the school journey.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- DRD’s Regional Transportation Strategy highlights the need for action to address the problems associated with the 'school run' and points to the need for improving the environment for children in and around schools.
- This is in addition to the need for education and awareness raising campaigns aimed at influencing travel culture and promoting more sustainable modes of travel.
- Six schools in Northern Ireland are participating in the Safer Routes to Schools initiative The six schools are:
St Joseph's College, Belfast
St Brigid's college, Londonderry
Parkhall College, Antrim
Wallace High School, Lisburn
St Anthony's Primary School, Craigavon
Oakwood Integrated Primary School, Dunmurry
- Innovative Traffic Management Infrastructure has been completed at St Joseph's College as well as at St Brigid's College in Derry. Similar work is being developed at the other four schools.
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