Living Streets Guernsey Safe Routes to Schools

Baubigny Schools pathway - 10th Anniversary Walk

On Monday 31st August 2020 we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the Baubigny Schools Walk. Around 65/70 islanders joined us in a circular walk which returned via Chateau des Marais. 6 deputies supported us, including Chief Minister Gavin St. Pier, and many friends and colleagues who helped us develop the route in 2010. There were also many members of the public who had used the route for their lockdown exercise. Pickitup Guernsey supplied 12 "wombling kits" so that we could do a litter pick throughout the route. RG Falla had helped us re-clad a large glasshouse close to the pathway to improve safety in that area. The Co-op kindly donated some refreshments for walkers. Our Chairman, Tom Le Pelley, led the walk.

Living Streets has joined up with the Neighbourhood Policing Team to encourage parents to be more considerate when parking near schools. Living Streets has paid for two new banners with a clear message: NO PARKING; NO WAITING; NO EXCUSES. The banners will be moved around the island to various problem areas. The first location is the Vale School where parents not only park on the footpath but also on yellow lines outside the school. This makes it very dangerous for parents and children trying to walk to school. Illegal parking carries a fine of £70 and the Police are intending to take a zero tolerance approach to those who break the law.

Living Streets is also working with the Head, Gary Hind, to try to encourage more car sharing and to help the school develop "walking buses". In addition we are intending to provide information to parents as to where they can park safely a short walking distance from the schools. A map pinpointing where pupils live will also be used to help with the development of a Schools Travel Plan.

Making safe routes to school happen -the Baubigny Schools pathway

Living Streets Guernsey LBG has opened the new pathway to St. Sampson's High and Le Murier schools. Students can now walk or cycle through the countryside using a virtually traffic free route into the back of the schools.

This project has been all about choice. We believe that students should have the option of being able to walk or cycle to school. Two thirds of St. Peter Port students used to go to their school in Les Ozouets on foot or on their bikes. We wanted to find a way for them to continue to do so.

In 2007, with the help of local residents, we set out to find a route through to the new schools using the existing footpaths and green lanes. The most direct route involved a short cut through a private vinery site which backed onto the school land. Our contribution to this project was negotiating a pathway along the edge of this 8 acre vinery.

Without this “missing link” the route could not have been developed and we are proud of what we have achieved.

Thanks to the support and advice from the Planners in the Environment Department we have been able to develop an attractive wide pathway flanked by new earth banks and fenc- ing. Funding and help in kind from many Guernsey companies has enabled us to clad a large bank of glasshouses near the path with clear pvc to guard against flying glass.

New pedestrian gates have been installed at each end of the vinery site which are kept permanently open for the students. In February we planted 600 hawthorns on top of the 200m of earth banks to complete the project.

Currently only a handful of students are using the new route which is very disappointing. However, we are confident that the numbers will build up in the future once parents realise the potential of the route.
We believe that everyone should be working together to encourage students to use the jour- ney to school as an opportunity to keep fit. Research from the Department for Transport found that 9 out of 10 teachers reported that children who walk to school are more alert and ready to work when they enter the classroom.
We have taken three years to develop this route—we now need to sustain it for future generations.

Website: livingstreets.org.gg