Introduction NJ Font Bold 24 As a JTA one of the first things you can do is carry out some research. Research will help you know what topics the people in your school are interested in and will help you run better activities for everyone. Research can be done by carrying out surveys, questionnaires and counts of people and goods. Doing research can be very fun and you can also learn a lot when you do it. Remember to keep copies of any research worksheets that you complete as you might need them in the future. Surveys If you want to find out what a large group of people think, the easiest thing to do is carry out a survey. Surveys can be used if you want to start a new project and will help in the planning stages. It will also help to show if the project is working by seeing what people think after taking part in the project. There are many different types of surveys but here are the most common types. Zig Zag Traffic Count Survey Sheet Hands-up Surveys We want you to count the number of cars using the street outside your school and use this sheet to record what they are doing. Cars going in one direct (left to right) should be counted in the first column, cars going right to left are to be counted in the 2nd column, and cars that stop in the street on or near the yellow zig zag lines are to be counted in the third column. Each car should only be counted once. You need at least 2 pupils to carry out this job. Date: Time started: Time finished: Cars travelling Cars travelling Cars stopping or parking on or near left to right right to left the yellow zig zag lines Tally boxes (make one mark (1) per car) These are quick and easy to do. They are useful to find out how everyone travels to school, or how they would prefer to travel. You can read out a list of choices and ask people to put their hands up for their choice. Total number: Remember you may need to remind people to only put their hand up once per question!
You can complete a survey for each class, perhaps at registration time. Don t forget to ask the staff too. We ve got an example survey for you to start using, but why not come up with your own questions for surveys too Questionnaires Questionnaires can be longer than surveys and are used to find out more detail about people s journeys and opinions. Questionnaires can be completed on paper or online. You can interview people individually and record their answers, but this might take a long time. It is quicker to get everyone to answer their own questionnaires. Remember that someone will have to collect all the responses together afterwards - in larger schools in particular it is much easier to do this electronically. Links to online surveys can be sent out in newsletters to parents or put on your school website. Why not complete online surveys in class or in breaks using school computers. Why not use the two example questionnaires and then create your own ones. Traffic counts You will need your teacher to help with this one. If you want to find out more about the traffic around your school you could carry out a traffic survey. You can count lots of different things, and from your findings you can come up with leaflets and posters to draw attention to busy spots and asking drivers to take more care when driving or to encourage more walking or cycling to school. Results Think about what you are going to do with your results. If you want to show other people what you have found out, you need to make it easy to understand. You could make a simple table to show numbers, but often the clearest way to compare different results is to draw a bar chart or other graph. Ask your teacher for advice.
There are many JTAs who currently do these things in their school it is easy, fun and counts towards your school being awarded a level of accreditation for your school travel plan. Internet Research Why not search the internet to find useful road safety and active travel facts. There is a list of useful websites that you can download to get you started. Why not have a look and see if there are any interesting facts that you can use to help promote your projects in school.
Hands up survey This is an example of how you can record the results of your hands up surveys. Don t forget to check with your School Travel Advisor about the best way to do this in your school. How students and staff usually prefer to travel to and from school: Class: Usual travel mode Preferred travel mode Mode Staff Students Staff Students Car Car Share Walk Bicycle Park & Stride Bus Rail (including Underground, DLR & Tram) Other Grand Total
SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR Zig Zag Traffic Count Survey Sheet We want you to count the number of cars using the street outside your school and use this sheet to record what they are doing. Cars going in one direct (left to right) should be counted in the first column, cars going right to left are to be counted in the 2nd column, and cars that stop in the street on or near the yellow zig zag lines are to be counted in the third column. Each car should only be counted once. You need at least 2 pupils to carry out this job. Date: Time started: Time finished: SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR Cars travelling left to right Cars travelling right to left Cars stopping or parking on or near the yellow zig zag lines SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR Tally boxes (make one mark (1) per car) Total number:
Traffic Count Sheet Traffic Count Sheet Name of person recording: Class: Name of road: Time (s) of survey: Type of transport Number Cars Lorries Buses Motorbikes Bicycles Number Cyclists wearing a helmet Scooters Pedestrians Number of cars parked outside school in the morning Number of cars parked outside school in the afternoon Number of bikes and scooters parked at school in the morning Number of bikes and scooters parked at school in the afternoon Why not contact your local Road Safety / School Travel Team and arrange to do a speed survey outside your school? Maybe you can run a leaflet competition before hand to design a leaflet about the dangers of speeding and hand it out to drivers?
In the space below, why not draw out the plan of the area you are doing the survey, marking on it where you are standing and any crossing points (if any) and also any places you think are dangerous spots and what might be done to make these areas safer.
Interview questions to parents about cycling Interview questions to parents about cycling Do you know how to ride a bike? What was the colour of your first bike? Did you like cycling? How old were you when you first learnt to ride? Who taught you to cycle? Did you cycle to school? When did you stop cycling? Why did you stop cycling? Would you like to start cycling again? Why not come up with some questions of your own using the spaces below
Some useful websites Useful websites You can surf the web for more useful active travel and road safety facts. Here are some of our favourite sites: www.tfl.gov.uk This is the official TfL website where you will find all the information you want about travelling in and around London. It s also a great place to learn about TfL s Safety and Citizenship Team www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk All you need to know about Road Safety Week www.bikeability.org.uk/schools Find out all about the new scheme that can help you cycle safely. www.iwalktoschool.org Find out more about International Walk to School Month. http://think.direct.gov.uk Visit this site for ideas, games and videos about promoting road safety. www.tfl.gov.uk/younglondon Find out all Transport for London has to offer to young people http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk TfL has created this website to help everyone plan journeys in London by foot, bike or public transport. Why not have a look around and get familiar with planning your journeys? www.liftshare.com This site gives you information all about car share schemes and a calculator that helps you work out the cost of making car journeys.