Dear Parents / Carers,

With all pupils returning to school in September, we wanted to send you some information with advice on safe social distancing and safe travel practices to plan ahead and think about your journeys to and from school.

For school journeys this September, we’re asking parents and students to:

• Walk, cycle or scoot wherever possible. Consider a ‘Park and Stride’ approach, where you would park slightly further away than usual and walk an extra few minutes. 

• Avoid busy stations and interchanges, if using public transport. Plan ahead and allow more time for your journey as travelling at the busiest times may take longer than usual. To help with this, please check tfl.gov.uk

• Follow the advice on maintaining social distancing and act on the instructions of hardworking TfL staff, who are there to help prevent crowding on the transport network

• If using public transport, taxis or private hire services, you must wear a face covering over your nose and mouth. This does not apply to children under the age of 11. For more details please see: https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/face-coverings. It is also encouraged that people carry hand sanitiser and wash their hands before and after they travel

TFL’s travel advice is updated regularly in line with the Government’s latest guidance. We’d encourage you to check regularly for updates at: tfl.gov.uk/coronavirus. 

Twitter and social media

To help with your back-to-school travel plans this September, check out TfL’s latest travel advice on:

• Busiest times

• Service levels

• Safety

• Hygiene

Read this guidance at: tfl.gov.uk/coronavirus

What can you do to support active travel ready for when schools return in September:

• Ensure you and your child(ren) are aware of recommendations on transport to and from school, which means reducing travel on buses, tubes or other public transport where possible and avoiding peak times.

• Take a look through the TfL’s latest STARS Home Learning resources with your child(ren). TfL created a range of activities for parents/carers to do at home with their child(ren) which can be found by clicking here.

• Encourage your child(ren) to get creative over the summer! As we are experiencing an increase in walking and cycling, this is a good opportunity for your child(ren) to Bling their Bike (link to STARS activity here) or enter the London Transport Museum’s School Travel Arts competition, which closes on October 31st. View the competition details here.

Try and plan your child’s journey to school for the next school year or other local destinations by walking or cycling. You can find some travel tips and advice in this short video: https://youtu.be/jmjGEPCehOw  

We hope you find this information helpful as we all try to negotiate through these strange times. We also hope that the transition back to school goes smoothly in September, but in the mean time have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Kind regards,

The School Travel & Road Safety Team

STARS Team

School Travel and Road Safety Education, Training and Publicity

3N/04 Civic Centre

High Street

Uxbridge

Middx

UB8 1UW

01895 250 484

 

School Travel and Road Safety Education, Training and Publicity: stars@hillingdon.gov.uk

Cycling enquiries and bookings: cycling@hilingdon.gov.uk

Pedestrian Training enquiries and bookings: ppt@hillingdon.gov.uk