We assess streets outside schools that have medium to low levels of traffic, which can reasonably be closed to motor traffic during school opening and closing times, without moving too much traffic elsewhere.

The streets are closed by signage and enforced either by bollards raised and lowered by school staff, or by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. 

In addition to providing engineering measures such as a Healthy School Street, we can work with schools to help reduce the number of pupils being driven to school by:

• providing pedestrian and cycle training 
• encouraging walking and cycling
• running events to raise awareness and excitement about walking and cycling 
• helping schools to achieve an accreditation on the Sustainable Travel: Active Responsible Safe (STARS) project - the Transport for London initiative for school travel planning

We currently have 3 Healthy School Streets in Camden, and would like to consider other schools that would like to have a Healthy School Street.  

Please contact the School Travel Plan Team for more information or to suggest a location.

The first Healthy School Street we implemented is on Macklin Street at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Holborn and Covent Garden.  

Our monitoring of the scheme shows that there has been minimal impact on residents and businesses on the street, a reduction in the number of parents driving their children to the school, and parents report a significant improvement in how safe they feel the school street is. Air quality on Macklin Street has also improved.

For more information about this scheme, read our Healthy School Streets report (PDF).

Video for St.Josephs Healthy School Street

Acland Burghley School

The second scheme on Burghley Road launched on September 2018. This is the first scheme in Camden which uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras for enforcement of the closure. More details of the scheme can be found in our report  (PDF) for the scheme. 

Gospel Oak School

The third Healthy School Street on Savernake Road outside Gospel Oak Primary School launched in January 2019. This is also enforced using Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. You can read the report for this scheme here

Play Streets is a similar scheme involving road closures on residential streets. Find out more.