School Streets continue to be supported following a review, along with a range of measures that are delivered through school travel plans.

The confirmation follows the Environment and Community Services PDS Committee in June and today’s call in decision too.

Councillor Nicholas Bennett JP, Executive Councillor for Transport, Highways and Road Safety said, “School Streets are not ending and remain one option as the council continues to support active travel and road safety outside our schools. In most cases children live within walking distance and this is the primary form of active travel in school travel plans. Every school in Bromley is encouraged to produce a travel plan and the council’s school travel team assists each school to ensure that their plan is tailored to the school’s circumstances. In 2019, when the last accreditation took place, Bromley had amongst the highest number of Gold or Silver accreditations, for increases in the number of children walking to school.”

Councillor Bennett continued, “There are several measures available to the council to promote active school travel, School Streets being one of them. The cost benefit of each measure must be considered, along with the resource implications. The council supports an anti-idling campaign for schools; cycle and scooter training; active travel campaigns to support walking, scooting, and cycling; road safety education and the introduction of pedestrian crossing facilities on routes to school; the Junior Travel Ambassadors Scheme; as well as supporting school crossing patrols at schools that want them.”

“The council does not support the introduction of ANPR cameras. Enquiries with other councils has not produced any evidence that enough PCNs would be issued to pay for their cost.  School Streets at some schools help in the promotion of active travel, but they are not a panacea and are not suitable at all schools. Experience has shown that schools which were considering introducing them decided not to when they realised the commitment which would be required by the staff. Again, it is impractical to expect residents within a school street to take on the commitment.”

At the pilot School Street in Hayes, the consultation exercise showed that most residents of the streets just outside of the School Street itself were not in favour of the School Street continuing, with 79 percent being against the School Street, primarily due to the displacement of traffic.  

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Head of Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8461 7670 or email Andrew.Rogers@Bromley.gov.uk.

 

Published: 15th July 2022