WOODLANDS FAMILY NURTURE CENTRE
TRAVEL PLAN
Methilhaven road
Methil
Fife
KY8 3LE
Headteacher: Sandie Johnston
Plan Created: February 2023
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PART ONE
Background Information
Welcome to the Travel Plan for Woodlands Family Nurture Centre Nursery. This plan sets out how the centre aims to encourage staff, pupils and parents to travel more sustainably to and from the centre, in safety. The plan will give some background information on the centre, consider the policies and objectives relevant to the Travel Plan (TP), look at initiatives – both current and proposed – and use these to underpin a comprehensive action plan to deliver the objectives of the TP.
The success of the TP will be monitored and evaluated fully to demonstrate progress and, if required, allow future changes to the action plan and its targets.
Woodlands Family Nurture centre is a large well maintained and welcoming purpose built standalone nursery with a recent extension which facilitates our early entrants and family learning centre. The building has four playrooms for our 3-5 children which open into a secure outdoor learning play area. Both the indoors and the outdoors offer children a place to investigate, to create and to participate in fun and engaging learning. Staff listen to, and work alongside the children to ensure a balanced curriculum is offered and we all keep up to date with current early years guidance to provide the best start in life for our children.
Woodlands is situated in the town of Methil and is open 52 weeks of the year to provide extended care and support to the families within the Levenmouth Community. As well as providing high quality early learning and childcare for local catchment area children, we also cater for the two-year-old children who have been admitted through an inter-agency referral process
Parking Provision
The centre has a well-designed staff car park that is entered from the Methilhaven Road and is away from the pupil entrance. There are two dedicated disabled parking spaces and access to the centre is via non vehicular route.
Travel information
The centre is within a residential area of Methil situated on the main artery route to Leven which is controlled by the timed 20 mph zone. The local area has good paths connecting the surrounding streets and are all within a 20mph speed zone.
The centre is on a main bus route between Kirkcaldy and Leven and is serviced by a network of local bus services.
Current Travel Issues
The nursery is producing a travel plan at this time to help seek support in overcoming the foremost difficulty encountered by nursery users and residents of the local area.
Neighbourhood Congestion: The local neighbourhood was designed in the 1950s and therefore the roads tend to be narrow and unsatisfactory for the volume of present-day traffic. Methil Brae outside the nursery can become particularly congested with parental parking, especially on corners.
Road Proximity: The centre is sited on a main artery route and at times can feel unsafe due to the volume of traffic, however this is increased at the beginning and end of sessions due to parent behaviour. There are timed 20 mph speed restrictions in place on the main road.
Parking for Staff: There is a dedicated car park for staff to use that is entered from Methilhaven Road. There are also parking spaces adjacent to the nursery, beside the church that staff can use, if the staff car park is full.
Parking for Families: There is no designated parking for parents at the nursery however, parents are encouraged to park in the designated parking area, adjacent to the nursery, beside the church. The surrounding streets are a short walking distance within a 20-mph zone with additional traffic calmer measures in place. However, the parking at the nursery is not as safe as it could be.
PART TWO
Aims
The overall aims of our Travel Plan are to:
- Increase the number of pupils, parents and staff travelling sustainably to our centre;
- Improve road safety and health for all
- Decrease and ultimately eliminate traffic and parking problems outside the centre and promote better traffic awareness in pupils, parents, staff and local Community.
- Continue to develop improved fitness in pupils
- Reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, saving energy and reducing pollution
- Demonstrate a commitment to the local Community by improving the local environment
Objectives
The objectives of our STP are to:
- increase year on year the number of pupils, parents and staff walking, cycling, using public transport or car sharing to our centre, at the expense of single occupancy (or parent and child) car use;
- address road safety and personal safety concerns to encourage greater use of walking, cycling and public transport use;
- continue to raise awareness, through partnership with parents
- improve the fitness and health of all through walking to/from centre, resulting in increased alertness and improved behaviour of pupils;
- eliminate parking problems at inappropriate areas.
Benefits
In achieving the above objectives, we will significantly increase health and safety awareness within the whole community,
For the centre:
- improved safety and reduced pollution and emissions;
- reduced traffic in inappropriate areas;
- improved relationships with our neighbours;
- increased use of safer walking routes, reducing safety concerns;
- expanding citizenship opportunities e.g. Eco-Schools Programme participation;
- improve the profile of the centre in the community.
For pupils:
- improved road and personal safety
- increased understanding of sustainable travel issues (eco-centre)
- increased awareness of environmental issues at a local, national and international level (National Walk To Centre Weeks, Safety Weeks)
- improved fitness through increased walking and cycling ( bicycle racks, cycle lanes), scooters
- improved behaviour and alertness at to/from our centre.
For parents and staff:
- increased parent and child contact time going to/from our centre;
- increased interaction between parents on journey to our centre;
- reduced costs for parents/staff;
- reduced parking problems within/ out-with centre grounds.
For the community:
- joint working with the community to resolve issues eg discouraging parking outside centre
- Consult with Council with regards to raising awareness of the twenty zone, e.g. more visible signs, and road surface indicator.
Part 3
Consultation Results
Families and staff were questioned about travel to our nursery. Only 35 families completed the survey and the information from that data is highlighted below.
- All chiLdren are brought in by parents or carers.
- From the sample of families surveyed, 75% live within 1 mile of the centre
- However, of those surveyed most families travel to the centre by car, even though they live within a 1-mile radius.
- When asked what is the main reason for choosing this mode of travel the majority of families stated that it fitted in with their family routine.
- 89% of families agreed that parking outside the centre by inconsiderate parents was a cause for concern and this stopped them from actively travelling to the centre.
- When further asked about what factors might affect your decision whether or not to let your child walk or cycle to the centre the majority of families stated that more road safety training and the reduction of cars.
- Families were then asked if there was anything else they would like to tell us about their journey to the centre and a full list of comments can be found in appendix 1 of this document.
- For the staff the preferred mode of transport to the Centre is car as the majority of staff stated that they lived between 6-10 miles away. The majority of staff park within the centre car park with 3 citing that they park in the streets around the centre.
- 21% of staff did express and interest in car sharing
- Staff stated that to encourage them to move to another mode of travel would require them to live closer to the Centre, warmer weather and a more convenient bus timetable.
- All children, parents, staff and visitors would benefit from clear planned drop off places, parking and traffic free zones.
Background: A Street Safety Audit of routes to Woodlands Nurture Centre was carried out on the morning of 22 February 2023. The audit was attended Marta Ramage of Roads and Transportation Service.
Current Situation: The Centre has one pedestrian entrance which can be accessed from both Methil Brae and Methilhaven Road. There are good footpath links through the catchment area.
The residential roads adjacent to the centre are covered by a full time mandatory 20mph speed limit and have associated traffic calming features. Methilhaven Road has part time 20 mph signage during drop off and pick up times.
There is a pedestrian crossing on Methilhaven Road.
Core Network: The strategic routes chosen for street safety audit are: Methilhaven Road, Methil Brae and the residential area of Methilhill.
Methilhaven Road: This is the main artery road to Leven and at times can be very busy. There is a mandatory 20mph speed limit from 8:30 to 9:15 and 2:30 until 3:15. There is no barrier from the entrance of the centre to the main road and staff highlighted this as a major concern due to parents parking on corners and pavements blocking sightlines.
Recommendation: MR to request a review of the area by traffic management with the aim of either installing barriers to prevent parking or look at implementing double yellow lines to prevent inconsiderate parking.
Anticipated Time Scale: Financial year 23/24
Methil Brae: Is within the mandatory 20 mph residential zone with good connecting paths, signage and additional traffic calming measures. The issues raised here are those of parents parking directly outside the centre on the pavement, on corners which cause congestion and frustration for neighbours.
Recommendation: MR to request a review of the area by traffic management with the aim of either installing barriers to prevent parking or look at implementing double yellow lines to prevent parents from parking.
Anticipated Time Scale: Financial year 23/24
Link Footpaths from surrounding residential area: The link footpath network around the Centre is very good and they are all within 20mph zone. Again, all have additional traffic management measures in place and there is ample parking for parents on these streets away from the centre entrance.
Recommendation: MR to work with the Centre to create a park and stride site and promote to this to parents via social media and newsletters.
Anticipated Time Scale 23/24
PART FOUR
Action Plan
| Issue | Solution | Who | Timescale |
| v Numbers of cars bringing in children to Centre
|
v Encourage parents to undertake a more active travel mode to the centre.
v Marta to work with the Centre to create a park and stride site.
v Look at introducing further traffic management around the centre entrance.
v Promote travel activities through social media.
|
v Centre staff
v Centre staff to update parents about park and stride site.
v Roads and Transportation Service.
v Centre staff
|
v Ongoing after launch of plan.
v As soon as possible.
v Financial year 23/24
v Ongoing |
| v Numbers of cars bringing in staff to work. | v Encourage staff to car share
v Encourage staff to use alternative methods of transport when appropriate.
|
v Centre Management and Marta | Ongoing |
| v Congestion on road outside Centre. | Install barriers or look at additional traffic management – i.e double yellow lines, school keep clears
|
v Roads and Transportation services | v Financial year 23/24
|
PART FIVE
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Proper monitoring of targets will include specific questionnaires to parents/carers in the different age groups.
- Information on monitoring and progress will be fed back to parents through newsletters and staff at regular staff meetings.
- Information about any changes to road will have to go through legal procedures before being actioned.
- I would expect all local homes effected to be individually contacted about any changes.
- The plan would need to be monitored and evaluated according to action taken by transportation services.
Appendix 1
Family additional comments
I bring my daughter to nursery via car for the main reasons of her and my safety. The road is very busy that time of the morning and I wouldn’t feel safe her walking along the route we need to take. I also suffer from panic and anxiety which means I cannot walk very far out in public, it was the reason I got a car in the first place!
My journey to nursery, let’s myself have 1 to 1 with my child before we collect siblings. We love it.
Due to the weather at times, it can cause us to miss nursery days with how far the walk is.
Good if the disabled spaces weren’t taken by people without badges. Even when parked there are a few inconsiderate folk that block you in. I am unable to walk any distance due to health.
Yellow roads sings to learn kids about road safety would be beneficial and better for children to learn.
I park in the car park across from the nursery as the level of traffic outside the nursery is a real concern for me. We use the crossing to get to nursery and every second day there are cars who don’t look or stop to allow to cross. I think there needs more signs and possibly even lights or a lollipop man/woman
We use the car to get to nursery but we don’t park outside the nursery as its far too busy, we park along the road a bit and walk over.
We love getting fresh air and exercising, it’s good for our body.
With my daughters health needs it is more efficient for us to drive but we do plan to walk round more often though.
The crossing is a major hazard. Cars do not even look. The parking around the nursery is atrocious. I do not feel comfortable parking at the nursery, I don’t feel safe using the crossing either.
I don’t drive I walk everywhere with my kids
We use the car for nursery drop off but park away from the front of the nursery.
