Welcome to Road Safety Wales
25/2/11
Teachers in Gwynedd were dumbfounded in January when a big hairy cat arrived at their schools. Careful Carys is the likeable Road Safety Character from the Gwynedd Road Safety Department.
“Will you come and visit Gwynedd Schools with me?” Careful Carys asked Meinir Gwilym.” I worry terribly when I see children jumping up and down in the car, and not clicking their seatbelt and sitting in the correct seat”
“I would love to” replied Meinir, “The most important song this time is CLIC CLIC ?”
“And “MAE GEN I SET” (I’ve got a seat) said Carys “it’s very important that children sit in the correct seat”.
Off they went for a fortnight, to spread the message about keeping safe in the car.
All the Children were given the Careful Carys story book and a special cover to put on their seat belt to remind them how important it is to Click that belt.
14/2/11
Volunteers and members of staff that help ensure Caerphilly county borough schoolchildren are safe and know all about road safety were thanked for their hard work recently, at the annual School Crossing Patrol and Road Safety Seminar.
The event, which brought together more than 110 dedicated Kerbcraft volunteers, Road Safety Officers and School Crossing Patrol officers from across the county borough, aimed to thank everyone for their hard work this year, and take a look at new road safety initiatives for the forthcoming year.
Cllr Rob Gough, Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Engineering and Transport said, “Our Road Safety team, together with a network of volunteers and School Crossing Patrol officers work tirelessly to help ensure our local youngsters know all about the importance of road safety, and to ensure their safety coming to, and going home from school”.
He continued, “We have a wide variety of initiatives, such as the Kerbcraft scheme and Walking Buses, which really help to educate our children about keeping safe when out and about, and I am delighted that those who work so hard to ensure these vital schemes are able to come to fruition have been thanked at our annual road safety seminar”.
The group were also joined by pupils from Blackwood Comprehensive School, who recently were the deserving winners of a national multimedia competition. Their film about the dangers associated with drink driving beat entrants from across Wales to scoop the regional and All Wales prize.
Deputy Mayor, Cllr Vera Jenkins also offered her personal thanks to the Kerbcraft volunteers, for their commitment in bringing the subject of road safety and the roadside to Year Two pupils across Caerphilly county borough.
Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn completed the occasion by providing entertainment in the form of a series of beautifully sung Welsh songs.
18/2/11
The Children’s Traffic Club has stopped off in Presteigne to promote road safety to youngsters. Powys County Council's Road Safety team took the club to The Little Peoples Nursery in Presteigne where children enjoyed pre-school games, stories and road safety activities.
The Children's Traffic Club is an award winning road safety programme for 3-4 year olds. Once registered, parents or carers receive a series of 6 books to work through with their child. It aims to help children learn how to keep safe in a fun and memorable way.
Alyson Broome, Powys County Council’s Road Safety Project Officer, said: "Children can be best influenced when they are very young and good habits established early can last a life time. The Children’s Traffic Club has proved to be a valuable tool in keeping our children safe when out and about."
Information about the traffic club is sent to all parents in Powys around their child’s third birthday. If you have not received your pack and would like to join, contact Alyson Broome at the Road Safety Unit on 01597 826979.
The next Children’s Traffic Club day will be with Newtown Parent Link Group on Friday 21st January 2011 at 10am at the Methodist Church, Newtown. Come along for games, stories and lots of fun!
30/11/10
Were you a member of the Tufty Club? Did you know that Tufty, the road safety squirrel, is still used to teach children safe ways to cross the road?
Tufty Fluffytail was born in 1953, as a creation of the late Elsie Mills MBE. Original stories for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents featured the squirrel and his friends and introduced clear and simple safety messages for children. Tufty was joined in his adventures by Minnie Mole and the naughty Willy Weasel along with Mrs Owl the teacher and Policeman Badger, who always popped up in the nick of time to save the children. In 1961, the Tufty Club was set up as a nationwide network of local groups. At its peak there were 24,500 registered Tufty Clubs. The characters’ images were changed to keep up with the times in 1979 and again in 1993.
Today Tufty is used by a dedicated band of ladies, known to children as “Mrs Tufty”, to teach road safety in reception, year 1 and year 2 classes throughout Gwent. Tufty is seen as an integral part of the schemes run by the local authorities to help keep children safe on our roads, and reinforces the lessons of more recent road safety innovations such as Kerbcraft.
With this in mind Tufty has found his way to the road safety website, www.roadstuff.co.uk. He has his own pages with topical road safety advice, stories, songs and competitions to win road safety goodies. Parents can enrol their children in the Tufty Club and order a range of road safety story books and low cost, hi-visibility items specially selected for children (but useful for adults too).
Parents play an important role in developing a child’s road safety skills, and now Tufty is there to help at the click of a mouse.
Tufty can be found at http://www.roadstuff.co.uk/tufty/
22/11/10
Pupils from across the Caerphilly County Borough wrapped up warm and set off to school on foot throughout October in celebration of International Walk to School Month.
The annual event offered children, parents, teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event. This year was no exception with more than 40 countries across the globe taking part from Australia to Japan, and pupils from across Caerphilly county borough made sure that Wales was well represented, and made a fantastic effort to take part.
Cllr. Rob Gough, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Planning said, "I am so proud of our pupils for embracing the challenge and jumping on board the walking bus, despite the recent cold weather. All 3,000 pupils and teachers involved have put Caerphilly county borough on the map as having people of all ages who really do want to make a difference to the environment. Walking to school promotes health, physical activity, and relieves congestion around the school, making it a safer environment for all of the community."
The walking bus is something of a regular mode of transport for many schools in the Caerphilly county borough, with a number of schools taking part all year round. In order to encourage pupils to ditch the fumes and stretch their legs in the colder months, schools have gone the extra mile with the promotion, in an effort to enthuse the whole community to get involved. Ysgol-y-Lawnt in Rhymney designed a bus to be placed on the school walls acting as a totaliser for each day they completed another eco friendly journey to school.
For further information on Walking Buses or School Travel Plans in Caerphilly County Borough contact Susan Davies, School Travel Plans Co-ordinator on 01495 235 402.
4/11/10
Local businesses and communities can reap the benefits of improved walking and cycling facilities says Environment Minister Jane Davidson. The Minister was speaking from the Welsh Assembly Government’s third Walking and Cycling Conference which is aimed at getting more people in Wales to walk and cycle regularly.
This year’s conference was held in Port Talbot. The location was selected because of the council's efforts to develop high quality walking and cycling facilities and its progress in encouraging both the local community and visitors to the area to utilise them.
Speaking at the conference, the Minister said:
“The benefits of walking and cycling are not just restricted to health and wellbeing.New and improved walking and cycling routes often act as a catalyst for new businesses and facilitate the growth of existing ones.
“We have seen numerous examples of bike hire enterprises, cafes, hotels and B&Bs flourishing as a result of improvements to walking and cycling provision. This in turn results in increased job opportunities within the local community and a more vibrant local economy.”
One good example of this is the economic growth stimulated by the mountain bike trails at Afan Forest Park. Just last week Afan Lodge, a hotel that particularly targets cyclists that use the local trails, won the ‘Best New Business’ award at the National Tourism Awards.
European funding has been secured to develop routes for walkers and cyclists. This will help attract visitors to Wales as well as providing useful paths for local people.
The promotion of walking and cycling can also result in growth in the third sector. Projects such as Pedal Power in Cardiff, which uses the Taff Trail as a safe environment for people with disabilities to enjoy cycling, have enjoyed great success over recent years and have provided opportunities within the community that would not otherwise have been available.
The Assembly Government’s Walking and Cycling Action Plan outlines exactly how it will encourage much greater participation in walking and cycling across the board.
The Minister added:
“ We have set ourselves some ambitious targets in the our Walking and Cycling Action plan, not least our goal to triple the proportion of adults and children who cycle to work and school.
“Whilst these are challenging targets, in my view they are definitely achievable.
“Our first annual report of the action plan showed that a good deal of progress has already been made. Our priority now is to build on that progress so that walking and cycling in Wales becomes a natural choice for both travel and recreation.”
2/11/10
Around 45 of Pembrokeshire's Crossing Patrol Assistants have stepped out wearing newly designed uniforms supported by South Hook’s Community Investment Programme.
The County Council’s team of Crossing Assistants provide a safe crossing point for around 2000 local children on their daily journey to school. The new uniforms, of two-tone contrasting colours will enable patrol assistants to be more visible to drivers, ensuring that they stay safe whilst providing an invaluable service to communities across Pembrokeshire.
“Safety is our top priority at South Hook” says Director & General Manager, Mohammed Al Naimi. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to support safety initiatives across Pembrokeshire that echo the South Hook ethos” he said.
Councillor Jamie Adams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Planning said the gesture was much appreciated. “We are very grateful to South Hook for their donation towards our school crossing patrols” he said.
The contrast patrol uniform is a bespoke design, developed by the leading waterproof and work-wear manufacturers, Bristol Oilskin & Overall Co.
3/8/10
The latest Official Statistics on Monitoring ‘A Walking and Cycling Action Plan for Wales 2009-2013’ produced by the Welsh Assembly Government were released on 3 August 2010 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.
Statistics on Monitoring ‘A Walking and Cycling Action Plan for Wales 2009-2013’ include data for Wales for 2007 up to 2009. This is the first of a series of bulletins that will be released on an annual basis.
The key points from this release are:
- The target to increase the percentage of children who walk to school to match the UK National Average was met in 2007-08. The percentage of 5-16 year olds walking to school in Wales is currently 45 per cent.
- The target to triple the percentage of children cycling to school cannot currently be monitored against the baseline set in the Action Plan due to a substantial change in the survey used to monitor this target. Work is currently underway with colleagues responsible for the Action Plan to develop an alternative data source.
- The target to increase the number of people who walk to work to 20 per cent has not been met currently. However, the latest available data does show that there has been an increase in the proportion of people walking to work up from the baseline of 10.3 per cent to 11.0 per cent.
- The target to triple the percentage of adults whose main mode of travel to work is cycling has not been met currently. The latest available data shows that the proportion of adults cycling to work is stable at the baseline level of 1.4 per cent.
- The target to increase the number of people walking for recreation to 50 per cent has not been met currently. The latest available data shows that the proportion of adults who have done any walking (over 2 miles) in the past four weeks has fallen to 34 per cent from the baseline of 40 per cent.
- The target to double the percentage of adults cycling for recreation has not been met currently. However, the latest available data does show that there has been an increase in the proportion of people who have cycled in the past four weeks up from the baseline of 5 per cent to 8 per cent.
SB 65/2010 'Walking & Cycling Action Plan for Wales 2009 – 2013’, Monitoring Report
30/7/10
Caerphilly County Borough’s longest walking bus belongs to Ysgol-y-Lawnt in Rhymney – with a staggering 186 walkers on board!
As part of national Walk to School Week recently, hundreds of children from primary schools across Caerphilly county borough took part in a special ‘Walking Bus’ competition.
Ysgol-y-Lawnt in Rhymney were crowned the winners of the competition after 186 pupils, teachers, parents and support staff made theirs the longest walking bus in Caerphilly county borough and probably one of the longest in the whole of Wales.
Officers from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team and even the local vicar came along and took part in the 20-minute walk to school.
Cllr Rob Gough, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Planning presented Ysgol-y-Lawnt with a beautiful glass trophy as their prize for winning the competition.
He said, “I am delighted that so many young people have signed up to walk to school across Caerphilly County Borough. Not only do walking buses help promote road safety and reduce congestion, they also help tackle pollution and help promote a healthier lifestyle for our young people.”
He continued, “A special congratulations must of course go to Ysgol-y-Lawnt in Rhymney for achieving the County Borough’s longest walking bus.”
Schools across the Caerphilly County Borough hope to build upon this success in time for October, which is International Walk to School Month.
For further information on Walking Buses or School Travel Plans in Caerphilly CBC, please contact Susan Davies, School Travel Plans Co-ordinator on 01495 235 402.
22/6/10
The Children’s Traffic Club has celebrated another successful year in Pembrokeshire. At Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School, the reception and nursery class children had fun at the Club’s annual party.
The pupils learnt all about the club before playing party games and dressing up as Larry Look and Lucy Listen to learn how to stay safe on or near the roads.
They were given goody bags and cake to take home. All the children are signed as members of the club.
“Three and four-year-olds learn through play and fun,” said Councillor Jamie Adams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Planning.
“The Children’s Traffic Club pack is an excellent resource for all parents and guardians to use to encourage the teaching of road safety at such a vulnerable age.”
The club activity books introduce friends such as Sammy Seatbelt, Rhonda Red and Handy Hold.
Children around the county can become members at special children traffic club events at their school, organised by Pembrokeshire’s road safety office. Alternatively, they can receive information on the Club from Health Visitors from the local health trust at the child’s 36 month check up.
Membership is free as the registration fee is paid by Pembrokeshire County Council from funding from the Welsh Assembly Government.
Once parents/guardians have registered, their child will receive their first book, followed by a further five books at regular intervals.
Pembrokeshire County Councillor Jamie Adams added: “The Children’s Traffic Club is an effective and proven way to deliver road safety information to pre-school children.
“The message is reinforced at school early years units, playgroups and nurseries through the Children’s Traffic Club Nursery Pack.”
Nursery packs can be acquired free of charge by all school early years units, playgroups and nurseries by contacting County Council road safety education officer Kirstie-Anne Donoghue on 01437 775434.
21/6/10
Encouraging residents in Neath Port Talbot to take up walking and cycling as a way to improve their health has taken a major step forward this week. To coincide with National Bike Week (19-27 June), the Council has launched a four year walking and cycling strategy which aims to change social attitudes towards walking and cycling.
The Council's climate change team has organised a Bike Festival in Margam Park on 26th June to celebrate the launch of the strategy.
The local community, families and anyone who wants to get on their bike or go for a walk are invited to this free event. There will be cycle routes for all ages and abilities, training in cycle skills and bike maintenance as well as themed walks, a picnic and a treasure hunt for children.
"Creating a healthier society is the driving force behind this initiative," said Council Leader, Ali Thomas.
"The strategy has been out to wide public consultation and has now been adopted by the Council.
"We must now increase awareness of the health benefits to be gained and promote how cycling and walking can easily be a part of everyday life."
The strategy sets out ways of improving levels of fitness across the county borough. These include making communities more active through walking and cycling, promoting tourism opportunities, improving the walking and cycling network and encouraging people to walk or cycle to work.
18/6/10
A Monmouthshire schoolgirl put her best foot forward recently to raise money for the Welsh children's cancer charity, Latch. Ten-year-old Robyn Evans, a pupil at Rogiet Primary School, took part in the glow walk.
This was a walk around Caerleon starting from Caerleon Comprehensive School which saw around 500 people taking part.
Organiser of the glow walk, Helen Beveridge, said they are now on target to raising around £6,000 for this charity once all the sponsorship comes in.
She said the walk went "brilliantly" and that they hope to hold it again next year. As part of her preparation for the walk, year five pupil Robyn Evans took part in walk to school week. This saw her walking the 3.5 miles from her Caerwent home to her Rogiet school, accompanied by her mum and deputy head teacher Vicky Curtis.
21/5/10
A new walking bus is making its way around Ynysddu to help local children get to school safely. Caerphilly County Borough Council is keen to encourage as many youngsters as possible to walk to school and schemes such as the walking bus are helping to get more and more pupils involved.
A 'Walking Bus' sees pupils travel to and from school in supervised groups. The initiative has really taken off over recent years and many parents welcome the opportunity to see their children escorted to school in a safe, organised group with their friends.
The new walking bus at Ynysddu Primary School is being launched during National Walk to School Week (17 - 21 May), to encourage more school pupils to walk, rather than be driven to school.
CCBC cabinet member, Cllr Rob Gough, said: "Initiatives like this are an excellent way to help reduce the number of cars on our roads doing the daily school run. As well as helping to cut congestion and reduce pollution, the schemes also encourage pupils to lead a healthier lifestyle by allowing them to enjoy a daily walk in the fresh air with
their friends."
Ynysddu Primary School Head Teacher, John Farmer, said: “The enthusiasm with which the whole school community has approached the initiatives introduced through the School Travel Plan has been fantastic. The children in particular have been really keen to get involved and the group they set up to lead on these initiatives. The Walk to the Future Team has generated some great ideas for running and promoting the Walking Bus.”
Local ward officers for Ynysddu - PC Alan Tinsley and PCSO Louise Jenkins - have been working with Ynysddu Primary School to make sure that the pupils are getting to school safely, as well as to raise awareness of dangers on the roads.
A green cone scheme has also been set up at the school. The local ward officers worked with the school and Caerphilly county borough council to start the scheme after it became clear that there were too many vehicles trying to park outside of the school. The green cones are placed outside the school at the start and end of the school day to encourage more people to walk to school or park away from the entrance.
PC Alan Tinsley, said: "Parents and residents have already said that the green cones have helped to ease the traffic problems that were being experienced outside the school. Our main aim is to ensure that the children get to and from school safely as previously there were too many vehicles trying to park outside the school at the same time, which could have posed a danger to the pupils."
PCSO Louise Jenkins, said: “The walking bus is being launched to help pupils get to school safely and to encourage more of them to walk, rather than be driven to school. The children will be accompanied by adults to make sure that they stay safe.”
Most schools across the area have developed School Travel Plans which set out ways of developing safe routes to school from surrounding towns and villages. A lot of investment has been provided for new walking routes, cycle paths and other measures to help create safe routes in the community.
21/5/10 
Schoolchildren in Rhondda Cynon Taf have received expert advice in a fun and informative way to warn them of the dangers of not taking care while crossing the road. Pupils from Blaengwawr Primary have worked for 10 weeks on the Kerbcraft scheme, which was delivered in their school by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Road Safety Unit.
During the initiative the five to seven-year-olds have been learning about being safe pedestrians, such as crossing the road, being safe – being seen and more.
Kerbcraft is a successful scheme developed by the University of Strathclyde that aims to teach children about safe use of the roads in a practical environment, rather than a classroom.
As such, all of the work completed by the children has been outside, where they have looked at safe places to cross, crossing safely near parked cars or junctions.
As well as expert support from the Road Safety Unit and their teachers, the children at Blaengwawr also benefited from the input of their parents, who volunteered their time to help deliver the course.
Cllr Andrew Morgan, Cabinet Member for Transport and Customer Care at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: ““We are all aware of the possible dangers associated with traffic on the road and the sooner we educate children on these hazards, the safer they become.
“Once again, these initiatives manage to inform and educate young children in an entertaining manner which helps them to remember the basic rules of road safety.”
8/4/10
A scheme set up to encourage three year olds to stay safe on the county’s roads is being relaunched in Denbighshire. The Children’s Traffic Club was originally launched in Denbighshire as a pilot scheme for the whole of Wales in April 2002. The idea originated in Scandinavia, where it proved successful in changing attitudes and reducing casualty figures.
The club is available to all 3 year olds, and parents who register their child on the scheme are sent a series of 6 books, each containing road safety advice which is delivered in a colourful and fun way.
The books contain characters such as Handy Hold, Larry Look and Lucy Listen, each providing road safety advice for children, as well as teaching parents effective ways of communicating the important messages contained in the booklets.
All play groups, nurseries, and childminders are able to participate in this scheme with Children's Traffic Club Packs which contain the 6 books, colouring templates, a song and story CD, and various other activities. Health Visitors also have CTC packs which they can use during early years checks.
The launch of the Denbighshire Children’s Traffic Club will take place on 13th April.
For further information, please contact Denbighshire’s Road Safety Unit, on 01824 706888.
7/1/10
The continuing high standards achieved by Vale of Glamorgan Council School Crossing Patrols (SCPs) have once again been recognised at their annual awards ceremony held in Barry, which also included, for the first time, the volunteers involved with the child pedestrian training scheme Kerbcraft in Vale Primary Schools.
Everyone, whether acting in a paid or voluntary role, was thanked for their dedication and commitment to Road Safety and commended on their professionalism and enthusiasm in helping ensure that children and adults alike are provided with safe crossing points throughout the Vale and are given the skills to ensure that they remain safe whilst they are out and about on today’s roads.
Rob Thomas, Head of Planning and Transportation, paid tribute to the ‘lollipop’ ladies & gentlemen of the Vale for ‘carrying out their duties with an enviable disposition and a cheery smile’……’with signs held high and brightly coloured coats you are superb representatives of the Council and a welcoming sight to pedestrians….’
He also thanked the Kerbcraft volunteers who have freely given up their time over the past 7 years, put on their yellow jackets and walked with over 3,000 children out and about on the streets outside their schools teaching them how to remain safe.
Several awards were then presented to those School Crossing Patrols and Kerbcraft volunteers, whose efforts were particularly appreciated over the past twelve months:
For the SCP Service, the Area Winners were:
Llantwit Major, St Athan & Rhws – Val Western – from the Porthkerry Road post near Rhws Primary School after many years outside Holton Primary School, she is set to retire in the New Year after nearly 20 years service.
Barry West (Buttrills, High Street & Romilly areas) – Tony Masters – over 3 years as a patrol, but has already made a big impression on Port Road and especially outside Ysgol Sant Curig which he is temporarily covering.
Barry East (Cadoxton, Colcot & Holton areas) – Sandra Riggott – with 6 years under her belt, she is very popular with the residents on Winston Road and the children attending Colcot Primary School.
Penarth, Sully & Dinas Powys – Michael Campbell-Jones – only 20 months in post on Lavernock Road, but already has great attention to detail in helping the pupils of Evenlode Primary School, amongst others, cross this busy stretch.
School Crossing Patrol of the Year
Two firsts – the first time that 2 Officers have jointly won the award and the first time that the top award has ever been retained in its’ 23-year history!!
The famous SCP Shield was presented to Alison Richardson, 2008’s Winner and Lynne Hughes, with over 31 years of service, who both patrol outside Eagleswell Primary School in Llantwit Major.
They have made a magnificent contribution to Road Safety both inside and outside the school, and are well-known and well-loved by children, parents and staff alike!! The two ladies have been very innovative and have worked with Eagleswell to recognise, acknowledge and promote the good behaviour of pupils crossing with them and to encourage more to walk to their school by awarding ‘house points’.
(N.B. It is interesting to note that this is the fourth time in five years that the School Crossing Patrol of the Year Award has gone to Llantwit Major. Sheila Allen (St Illtyd) won the title in 2005, Alex Daw (Ham Lane) won it in 2007 & Alison Richardson (Eagleswell) for her first time in 2008. Is there something in the air (or on the roads ?!) down Llantwit-way…???!!)
For Kerbcraft, the first-time winners were:
Johanna Hopkins, a former teacher who has been volunteering since Kerbcraft began 7 years ago. In her ‘spare time’ she enjoys bowls and golf (where she is Lady Captain at Brynhill this year !!) as well as being a governor at Rhws Primary School where she helps with the child pedestrian training.
Johanna Jones, a lady who has also been there since the beginning at Peterston-Super-Ely Primary School, where she has also assisted with the Gardening Club and numerous other projects. She has followed her twin grandchildren right through the school, and despite the fact that they have both moved on to secondary education, she stills lends a helping hand (or two) every week to the child pedestrian training.
After a DVD presentation of Anti-Drink Drive films produced by pupils of Barry Comprehensive and Bryn Hafren Schools, a light-hearted interactive quiz and buffet followed, which was hosted by the Vale of Glamorgan Council Road Safety Team.
If anyone is interested in becoming a School Crossing Patrol Officer, there are currently vacancies in Barry, St Athan & Cowbridge.
The rate of pay is £6.38 per hour with a half pay retainer paid during school holidays. Working hours are up to 2 hours per day/10 hours per week.
For further information please contact Karen Stokes in the Vale of Glamorgan Council Road Safety Unit or ring Contact OneVale on 01446 700111 for an application pack.
If you would like to volunteer to help the Kerbcraft Scheme in local primary schools, please contact Jayne Jenkins on the above number.
Who knows next year – YOU may be part of the Annual Awards Presentation …??!
