The word ‘normal’ always makes me chuckle, as it is such a fluid concept. In a few short years the shared mobility offered by shared escooters and now ebikes in Bath have meant it is normal for motorists to often have to share road space and it is normal to see people riding without a helmet in everyday clothing.

Someone who has been valiantly redefining ‘normal’ is Talia Kelly, and she has kindly provided the following blog. We need a Talia at every school in Bath & Northeast Somerset especially on the board of governors! Travel to and from school is one of the biggest safeguarding issues they have, and is often at its most acute right on their doorstep.

Over to Talia…

When my husband brought home a Tern GSD cargo bike and suggested it as an alternative to driving the kids to school, I was sceptical. I’m no gym bunny and the customary fears surrounding the safety of my children, particularly on rural roads, contributed to a forgivable wariness over altering our established car-centric routine. But his offer to undertake the school run regularly –  a tacit acknowledgement that I probably wouldn’t use the bike – spurred me into action. Before long, I was daily winding my way up hill and down dale, with two delighted children on board, come wind or shine. Many journeys were and continue to be anxiety-inducing at times, yet the predominant outcomes have been an unexpected boost to the entire family’s wellbeing and a better connection with the great outdoors in addition to the anticipated financial, logistical and health benefits active travel routinely provides. My nine-year-old now regularly cycles himself into school too (under our escort at present), laying down the foundations for future independence and long-term fitness.       

As the months progressed, initial interest exhibited by other parents in the bike was replaced with the same unease I had experienced over road safety. Freshford Church School is a small rural primary with a sterling reputation attracting families from an ever-widening catchment area keen to capitalise on the school’s creative and nurturing approach. Yet the situation outside the school gates at drop off/pick up has become increasingly untenable. Congestion, air pollution and poor poor driver behaviour are just some of the issues adversely affecting residents, families and school staff. More notably, they have been contributing to growing confrontational situations between various stakeholders. As a standing item on the Local Governor Committee agenda, something had to be done. As safeguarding governor, my newfound appreciation of the benefits of active travel and specific concerns over pupil safety during the school run, initiated a profound desire to address the problem.

The first step was to organise regular multi-agency meetings between school leaders, residents, B&NES traffic officers and the parish council. In September 2023, we conducted an initial survey during a busy school drop off to establish a mutually agreed problem statement. Despite a conspicuous battalion of high visibility jackets and clipboards, two flustered traffic officers were nearly run over on the pavement while one parent obligingly parked on the zigzags outside school, thus demonstrating some of our challenges perfectly. The meetings proved fruitful with the possibility of a school street high on the agenda. It was Richard Pitman, B&NES Active Travel Officer, who tentatively suggested a ‘Playing Out’ event as a pilot exercise. The more I researched the comprehensive Playing Out website, the more convinced I was that this movement encompassed our intentions to address traffic and travel issues in the vicinity of the school, encourage sustainable, active travel options and promote children’s right to play.

For those unfamiliar with ‘Playing Out’, it simply means providing children with a safe space to enjoy the freedom of playing outside on the street with their friends – a familiar occurrence in the not-so-distant past.* This involves closing a street for a couple of hours to through traffic. The model was started in Bristol in 2009 and has since become a national movement. Benefits include community building, healthy habits, happiness and a critically normalisation of children’s right to play. Playing Out is grounded in rigorous academic, scientific and mental health research, with advocates currently contributing to the parliamentary inquiry into Children, Young People and the Built Environment.

[*the charity Living Streets was originally named the Pedestrians’ Association. It was formed in 1929 as anger grew about road space being increasingly taken over by motor vehicles. Somewhat of a rear guard action that continues 95 years later… ed.]

By December 2023, with the unfailing support of B&NES Road Safety Team, the paperwork for the TTRO (Temporary Traffic Regulation Order) had been submitted. Adjacent residents had now received their consultation letters regarding the 2-hour Playing Out event outside Freshford School on 22^nd March, 2024. The work to convince stakeholders, particularly residents, of the benefits of the initiative has been hefty. Typical objections have ranged from familiar concerns over access for emergency response vehicles and disabled motorists to consternation over the school’s apparently cavalier attitude to pupil safety by teaching children to play on roads. Amongst some opposition towards the initiative, quieter voices raised useful practical questions, providing time and space for considered forethought to tackle specific issues. 

Despite the frequent challenges that have arisen throughout this process, a solid support base has emerged with many steadfast allies willing to advocate for the scheme. A network of collaborators has provided moral and practical support, embracing the opportunity to trial an enterprise that could address a problem set only to worsen over time. With traffic and travel on the radar, parents have started to discuss walking bus options, approaching each other at the school gates to discuss park and stride options. Local businesses dotted around the area have willingly offered their carparks with no quid pro quo.  

On Friday 22^nd March at 14:00, the much anticipated Playing Out event finally transpired. Despite some ominous grey clouds and spitting rain, the sun finally broke through buoying the spirits of even the most sceptical. With barriers in place and a barrage of stewards supervising the area, pupils emerged warily from the confines of the school before plunging en masse to the extremities of the road closure as though verifying the reality of the enterprise. Once established, a happy calm held sway. Children busied themselves with chalking, skipping, playing football and generally getting down to the important business of play. Despite the (thankfully) uneventful chaperoning of no fewer than three buses traversing the closure, even the adults on duty relaxed – improved no doubt by a delectable cake sale organised by a canny PTA. With the familiar perils of the school run removed, parents, residents, staff and children were able to enjoy a more sociable end to the school day with many families choosing active travel methods to return home. While survey results are still being collated to gauge the ultimate success of the initiative, the children themselves have gleefully voiced their delight in an approach that puts them at the heart of the solution.

A final note from Walk Ride Bath:

What a fantastic achievement this has been. It is unfortunate we still do not have a single school street in BANES despite events such as this showing the appetite is clearly there. Delivering safe infrastructure is essential to giving people access to choices on the school run and we are now an embarrassing distance behind cities such as Bristol in delivering on the ground.