Projects
Green Travel Plan at the Royal School
Project Summary
The Royal School in Hampstead has pioneered a green travel plan to address environmental and planning issues, and placate frustrations surrounding the morning school run.
The plan has led to the number of cars delivering a single pupil going down from over 65 per cent to less than one-third. The number of students using public transport has tripled, and those involved in car sharing has doubled.
Promoted by the Government as a nationwide example of good practice, and by Camden Council as a model for other schools, schools throughout the country have asked the Royal School for advice and ideas.
How did it start?
The relatively high number of schools in the borough caused chaos and pollution, as parents drove their children to school.
The need for a plan was first recognised in 1995 when the Royal School applied for planning permission to expand. Camden Council said it would have to reduce traffic from students by 30 per cent. The school called in the Symonds Group Travel Consultants to see where reductions could be made and how to separate families from dependence on cars.
Because of the traffic volume in London, the plan had to reflect parents concerns about walking and cycling. So a plan was created that went beyond the usual methods of green transport.
Symonds Group pooled addresses and introduced students as potential car sharing partners. A trained car park attendant was recruited to co-ordinate converging cars and calm confusion and frustration. Camden Council was brought in to consult on planning and public transport and two minibuses from a local company now transport many students directly from their homes.
Building on travel plans
Consultants monitor the projects success and growth annually. Cars are filmed and counted, pupils answer a transport survey, and those travelling by car are given a further questionnaire to both gather and promote information.
Ralph Elliott, the Bursar, has concluded that those who found it easiest to make the change to public or shared transport have largely done so, but efforts need to continue to raise the profile of environmental issues, and to provide alternatives to those who find change more difficult. Initiatives to escort students or drive them to central minibus dispersion points are being explored, and a discount on school fees to students with a public transport season ticket has been introduced.
Even more ambitiously, the plan is to extend to a nearby school. If this succeeds, Ralph hopes more schools in the area may be able to pool their postcodes in a central database to car share and take part in wider consultation and initiatives, possibly extended to the neighbouring borough of Barnet.
Raising awareness
Environmental principles are crucial to the project, which has provided an opportunity to raise awareness about wider green issues. It has brought environmental topics such as fuel waste from the classroom to the home, and made them relevant to everyday choices of pupils and parents.
The school encourages publicity in local newspapers and promotes the project on open days. It also regularly updates families on the plan and on public transport, to encourage students to use the bus and tube wherever possible. Ralph said:
It seems that a balance between pressure and persuasiveness is the key to getting people on side.
The Royal School is keen to share its experiences and advice to other schools facing similar challenges. Green travel could have a far-reaching effect for generations to come.
Project Address
| The Royal School, Hampstead |
| 65 Rosslyn Hill |
| NW3 5UD |