Active travel           

2025 10 active travel newsletter.pdf

 

 

What is Active Travel?​

Active Travel is any form of travel that involves getting some exercise on    your journey. Walking, cycling, scooting and park & stride are all excellent forms of active travel. Walking or wheeling is a brilliant way to get to school. Get fresh air and have time to talk to your family. You can arrange to meet up with other families and arrange for your child to walk with their friends. Scooting can be a fun way to practise children’s balance and steering as well as letting off steam before the school day ahead. Cycling is a great mode of travel that can give children freedom and independence to get around. Park & Stride is where parents/carers park a short distance from school and walk the rest of the way. This is ideal for those who live too far away from school to walk or who need to continue their journey to work.​

 

Why Active Travel?​

Choosing to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle are all easy ways to increase daily physical activity and help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children who travel actively to school also gain valuable life skills such as road safety and, as they get older learn to travel independently. Choosing active modes of travel can help to boost concentration and improve mood. It can also help to reduce the risk of developing health problems such as type 2 diabetes, asthma and even mental health disorders. Active travel is also very cost effective with walking being absolutely free! and scooting and cycling much cheaper than using a car. Don’t forget, active travel is also good for the environment, helping to cut traffic congestion and pollution. Try active travel today!

 

How we travel matters

Changing the way we travel is important because as well as caring for our own health we care about our environment and the wellbeing of others.

At Cotham Gardens Primary School, we strongly encourage parents to find sustainable ways to travel to school with their children, whether that's using public transport, walking, wheeling, cycling or riding scooters. There are many benefits to doing this.

Depending on how you’re travelling, they could include: health improvements; improved academic attainment linked to physical fitness; more time to talk properly to your child, and reduced stress.

 

What we do:​

•  All local school trips are made on foot whenever possible if the destination is close by​.
•  When possible, school trips further afield are taken by train.
• Offer cycle storage for pupils, parents, staff and visitors at both sites ​
• Offer scooter storage for pupils, parents, staff and visitors at both sites ​
• Encourage all members of our school community to walk, scoot, cycle or travel by public transport for the journey to school​
• Work closely with the School Active Travel Team at Bristol City Council to promote active travel in our school​.
• Hold special active travel assemblies and workshops delivered by the School Active Travel Team at Bristol City Council

 

What our parents do:​

• Walk, Scoot or Cycle to school whenever possible. Give it a go – it’s probably not as far as you think!​

If you have to drive…​

• Park and Stride – Get active! Park away from the school and walk the final 5-10 minutes to the school. Where a car must be used, we ask all parents to drive only part of the way, park away from the school and walk the rest of the way. This helps build exercise into daily routines and contributes to your child’s recommended hour a day of physical exercise.
• Keep the Zig Zags and double yellow lines clear – Not stopping and dropping outside the school reduces congestion in the road outside the school, improves local air quality and keeps it safe for pedestrians.​
• Switch off your engine when waiting – If your engine is idling – you are not moving and therefore you are getting ‘zero miles per gallon’! If you have to wait in a traffic jam or at a level crossing it’s best to switch your engine off. Idling produces pollution which damages health. ​
• Kill your speed – Just 5 miles over a 30 mph speed limit can increase stopping distance by a further 21 feet. You should always be able to stop within the distance you can see ahead. Is it worth gambling that there isn’t a child round the corner?

 

 

 

Travelling to our School

Address:                                                          ​

Cotham Gardens Primary School

Cotham Grove

Bristol

BS6 6AL

 

How to find us:​

• Cycling, Walking and Scooting – Our School benefits from a number of walking and cycling routes in the area.
• Bus – There is a bus stop for the number 72 bus a 1-minute walk from school on Cotham Grove.
• TRAIN – Redland train station is a 4-minute walk from the school. This station serves inner city districts in Bristol with Great Western Railway services on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route. Trains run on the Severn Beach Line from Bristol Temple Meads to Avonmouth, with select services extending to St Andrew’s Road and Severn Beach.
• Car-Sharing – If there is no practical alternative to coming by car, please consider car-sharing. There is also information about car-sharing on the TravelWest website.​
• Bike and Scooter Facilities – There are secure bike racks at Cotham Gardens Primary School for bikes or scooters. These are located inside the school grounds. There are also some by the school office for visitors and parents. ​

 

Useful websites for journey planning:​

• The West Journey Planner website provides extensive information on all forms of sustainable transport in the Bristol area. Visit: https://journeyplanner.travelwest.info/ ​
• For cycling routes visit: https://cycleplanner.betterbybike.info/route-planning ​
• For extensive cycling information and advice, see the Sustrans website. Visit: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/

 

 

 

How to use this map…​

Your school and local Council School Active Travel team have worked together to create this map for you to use when planning your journey to/from school to encourage more active travel. The map focuses on your school in the middle, and it shows the 5-minute walking and Park & Stride zone that are shown by the circle on your map. Use the map to find your home and work out if you are living within the 5-minute walk zone circle.​

Choosing to travel actively and leaving the car at home can improve safety and air quality around the school site and allows the opportunity for some exercise at the start and end of the school day.​

If your home is inside the walk zone… it means that you live very close to the school and that active travel could be a great option for you. If you’re not already, why don’t you try walking, scooting or cycling to school? Parents, if you need the car to travel to work, it may be quicker and easier to leave it parked at home while you do the school run. ​

If you live outside of the walk zone… in order to reduce congestion at the school gate we would like those who currently arrive by car to try parking outside of the zones and walking or scooting the rest of the way to school. Next time you drive, try to park and stride from suitable places outside the walking zone and walk or scoot the rest of the way to school. You may even find it takes you less time than trying to find somewhere to park near the school gates. If you live 10 minutes away, why not try scooting or cycling?​

We thank you for supporting our walking and park & stride Zone.​

                                                                                                                                  

Modeshift STARS                                                                      

Modeshift STARS is a national award scheme that recognises schools who demonstrate excellence in supporting walking, cycling, scooting and other forms of sustainable travel. Cotham Gardens Primary School is taking part and has reached GOOD status. This means we are being considered for a School Street.

For more information visit www.modeshiftstars.org

 

 

Get in contact​

We work closely with the School Active Travel Team at Bristol City Council to promote active travel and educate the children about road safety at the school. They come in to deliver special assemblies and workshops. Contact the Bristol City Council School Active Travel Team to find out what training and support they offer. activetravel.schools@bristol.gov.uk

 

Free Travel offers for parents:

     

 

 

Links for above:

www.betterbybike.info

https://travelwest.info/for-communities/individual-support/

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/get-free-active-travel-support