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Kentschoolrun news
MAKE THE SCHOOLRUN FUN
Schools in Kent are being encouraged to help parents save time and reduce their travel costs by registering with the new kentschoolrun online car sharing service.
Kentschoolrun is the new carshare scheme for parents and schools to help tackle congested roads affected by the schoolrun around Kent. It helps parents by matching those travelling similar journeys and reduces the need to do the school run everyday. It also helps children to develop friendships with others in their area, making the journey to school more enjoyable.
To register the school, headteachers need to add their details at www.kent.gov.uk/carshare and click on kentschoolrun and contact their local KCC school travel planner, kentschoolrun@kent.gov.uk. This service is free to the first 100 schools in Kent that sign up.
The scheme is being launched alongside kentcarshare, the website which allows Kent’s public to car share on any journey. Both schemes aim to help people save money on travelling costs whilst reducing congestion around Kent.
There are currently 16 schools who are already registered who will be encouraging parents to take part over the next few months. Parents and schools can find out more by visiting the website at www.kent.gov.uk/carshare and clicking on kentschoolrun.
By making more efficient use of the car to take more passengers to school, kentschoolrun will reduce congestion on the roads and around school sites. With the growing cost of fuel, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people looking for alternative ways of reducing the cost of driving.
KCC Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport Richard King said: “Examining how we travel around Kent and looking at ways to reduce congestion and pollution is certainly something we can all do to make a difference to our environment and kentschoolrun creates the opportunities to make that difference.”
New Ways to School News
Continuation of funding for School Travel Planners in Kent
16th Aug 2005
KCC’s team of school travel planners – Annette Angeletta, Carol Sullivan, Michelle Matthews, Sarah Hamilton, Jacqui Elliott and Ben Dwyer – were boosted this week with the news that the DfES and DfT have agreed to continue funding the Travelling to School initiative for a further two years to March 2008.
This means that the team can continue its good work with schools to put into place high quality plans. It also allows the team to plan for the next two years and provide some reassurance to those on fixed term contracts.
93 schools in Kent received a total of £586,000 in school travel plan grants this year thanks to the school travel plan team. This is far more than any other local authority in the South- east and the team is ahead of its target of 40% of schools to have travel plans by March 2006.
School-run.org News
“[School-run.org] aims to provide alternative transport options and so reduce the number of cars travelling to and from schools at peak hours”
The Telegraph
“Parents don't have to take their kids to school every day but know they are safe walking or cycling with friends or accompanied by another adult”
Routes 2 Action
“The new web-site could change school travel of the future”
Travel Plan News
“Log on to share school run”
Evening Standard
“We can thoroughly recommend this service; it's easy to set up, inexpensive and with so many parents now able to access the web it's the perfect channel to stimulate car-sharing.
It worked for the European School and we are sure it will work for many other schools across the UK .”
Maurizio Fantato
Parent and Chairman of the PTA at the European School , Culham
BBC iCan
See the full BBC iCan case study here.
