How to get involved
Trailblazers is a school active travel initiative developed by Ayrshire Roads Alliance (a partnership between East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council) and North Ayrshire Council road safety teams. Transport Scotland has granted funding to pilot the initiative in nine schools - three in each local authority. The initiative will be independently evaluated as part of the pilot and if successful, will be rolled out to more Ayrshire schools in the future.
Frequently asked questions
Trailblazers are parents/carers, pupils and school staff who want to improve children’s health, wellbeing and safety by walk, cycle or scoot to and from school and Early Years Centres.
The aim is to encourage more parents/carers, pupils and school staff to walk to and from school.
The Trailblazer scheme involves signs which are placed along popular routes to school highlighting the time it takes to walk to school from that point. This will either be 5 or 10 minutes. If you live a significant distance from the school you can still drive to a safe location near a sign and walk, cycle or scoot from there.
The scheme is being piloted at the following schools:
| Council area | Schools |
|---|---|
| East Ayrshire | Mauchline Primary School, New Cumnock Primary School, Whatriggs Primary School |
| South Ayrshire | Coylton Primary School, Doonfoot Primary School, Forehill Primary School |
| North Ayrshire | Glebe Primary School, Skelmorlie Primary School, St Anthony’s Primary School |
If successful, it will be rolled out to more schools, especially those which are not suitable for School Streets.
The scheme highlights how close people live to the school and encourages them to walk all the way. Very few people will need to drive to the sign, park in a safe location and actively travel from there.
No, the signs are located on the popular routes but you do not have to walk past them or start from there.
A QR code is a type of barcode that can be read easily by a digital device and which stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid.
To scan the code:
- Open the camera app on your phone
- Point the phone at the QR code to scan it
- Tap the pop-up banner or QR icon
You will still be able to be a Trailblazer if you don’t have a smart phone. Scanning the QR code is an added bonus but not an essential part of the initiative.
When scanning a QR code you should:
- Always stand still and well back from the kerb when scanning the QR code
- Never walk while looking at your phone
The location of the QR codes along the routes have been carefully considered. If you feel a location is unsuitable please contact:
- East Ayrshire - ARA.RoadSafety@ayrshireroadsalliance.org
- South Ayrshire - ARA.RoadSafety@ayrshireroadsalliance.org
- North Ayrshire - Roadsafety@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Driving to school often takes longer than walking/cycling/scooting because of the congestion on the streets surrounding the school.
The playground is supervised from 15 minutes before the first bell.
If you aren’t able to change the times of your other commitments (work, childcare, other school runs), then consider whether dropping your children at school during this supervised period will give you the extra time you need to stay on schedule.
We appreciate concerns around arriving at school wet. Umbrellas, wellies and waterproofs are all useful to have and you could carry a change of shoes for your child to put on when they arrive at school.