SMOT Strategy Document

to transport. The group of people who are not in education, employment or training are
also generally the group that find it hardest to travel, making transport critical in
accessing learning and employment.
Demand responsive transport services, which form a key part of our public transport plans
for rural areas, will go some way to alleviating some of these issues, but may still not be
practicable for all, so other community-based solutions need to be considered.
Summary of Suffolk’s key strategic plans and relevance to SMOT
The Suffolk Local Transport Plan is separate to the SMOT Strategy Update. Both support
the county council’s Plans and Priorities for 2017-2021. The priorities are as follows:
• Inclusive growth
• Health, care and wellbeing
• Efficient and effective public services.
The key ambition is to support the local economy, attract world class businesses, and support
and develop the local workforce, in the context of a shift towards a low carbon economy.
This will help residents to achieve a high quality of life and create stronger and more selfreliant
communities. While improving the local economy we also want to help make Suffolk a
healthier, safer place to live and work; improve the level of educational attainment; and
reduce the impact of harmful emissions. Working towards these priorities will place the
county into a stronger position to capitalise on future opportunities for sustainable economic
development.
School Travel Plans and the future
Schools are expected to be self-sustaining in reviewing and updating their travel plans. A
small number of schools take part in the Sustainable Travel and Road Safety (STARs)
programme which awards and recognises their commitment through a three-level award
system (Bronze, Silver and Gold). There is no dedicated resource to deliver this, although it
is a low-cost activity that provides accurate monitoring and evaluation of school travel plan
initiatives.
Schools may also be required to update and review their travel plans in relation to planning
applications, especially when a school is expanding, and consideration must be given to the
travel needs of the additional pupils and staff. The SMOT duty extends to colleges of further
education also. See the Modeshift STARs guide in Suffolk on page 45.
Infrastructure Refresh
School Travel and Rights of Way Access continue to do local research into looking at the cost
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