Safe school travel

Action 3.1, Action Plan for Walking 2022–2024

Department/Agency: Department of Environment, Science and Innovation

Status: Complete

Work with school communities, local governments and community groups through the Safe School Travel program to encourage more people to walk and ride to and from school.

Overview

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has expanded the Safe School Travel program. We have established local committees. They develop school road safety plans. These plans explain how to improve road safety for students travelling to and from school, including for those who walk.

Achievements

Improving the safety of school travel for all children relies on the involvement and engagement of schools, parents’ associations, councils and state authorities such as:

• Department of Education
• Queensland Police Service
• Translink and/or bus operators.

The first step is to form a Safe School Travel Committee to identify and address school safety concerns. The committee creates a plan to improve road safety around schools.

• what the school is planning to do to improve road safety
• how it expects road safety will improve
• how the school will monitor and evaluate the success of the plan
• when it will be done
• who is responsible for making it happen.

Action plans improve road safety around schools. Some common improvements include:

• safer areas for school pick-up and drop-off
• safer crossings
• wider and connected footpaths.

Next steps

Safe School Travel will be promoted as part of the department’s support to the committees. It aims to make the journey to and from our Queensland schools as safe as possible for students.

More information

Visit SafeST to find out more about the program