Safer routes to school: Meole Brace School

A toucan crossing has landed on Longden Road in Shrewsbury!

Shropshire Council has opened a new toucan crossing on Longden Road as part of its 'Safer Routes to School' programme.

Councillors John Everall and Mike Owen were present to officially open the crossing. Staff and pupils along with the contractors Enterprise and consultants Mouchel were there to watch the opening, as well as transport planning officers.

Toucan stands for 'two can cross' and is a signal controlled crossing that allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross at the same time. The built in sensors on a toucan crossing mean that the toucan will let you finish crossing before allowing traffic to move.

The new toucan is supported by a dropped kerb crossing on Bank Farm Road and an upgrade of the footway from Bank Farm Road to the new crossing for use by pedestrian and cyclists.

The council has been working with Meole Brace School Science College to look at ways to encourage more walking and cycling to school and to improve safety on the school journey.

The school produced its first School Travel Plan in 2004 and since then there has been a big rise in the percentage of pupils cycling to school.

One of the key issues highlighted in the School Travel Plan was safety for pedestrians and cyclists when crossing Longden Road on the journey to school. The School Travel Plan provided a basis for an investigation into a potential Safer Routes to School scheme.

Since starting the School Travel Plan the school has supported a range of school travel initiatives. The Council provided a new cycle storage shelter for 100 bikes in 2004 and now over 130 pupils regularly cycle to school. In 2007, the School Travel Plan group was formed to review the plan and various new initiatives have been started. A cycle code has been produced and issued to all new pupils.

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