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Many schools suffer with parking, congestion, road danger and air quality issues immediately outside their school. The Healthy School Streets project aims to:
make the streets outside schools safer at the start and end of the school day
discourage car journeys to school
improve air quality in the vicinity of the school
cut down on traffic outside the school
How does it work?
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.
How can I suggest a Healthy School Street?
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.
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.
The second scheme on Burghley Road launched in 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 the Acland Burghley HSS report (PDF).
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. For more information please read the Gospel Oak HSS report.
Future Plans
New End School - we have carried out a feasibility study for a scheme and presented this at a public engagement meeting. The presentation from that meeting can be viewed here
Following the consultation the decision has been made to proceed with the scheme. Details of the scheme are in the Decision Report.
We are also conducting feasibility studies for Holy Trinity and St Silas School and Haverstock School. More details to follow.
Neighbourhoods of the Future
As part of the above project, we are proposing to implement Healthy School Streets schemes in the chosen project area of Fitzjohns/Frognal. We presented the proposals at a public engagement meeting. The presentation from that meeting can be viewed here. The full feasibility Study is here.
Consultation will follow in late September/October 2019.
Play Streets is a similar scheme involving road closures on residential streets.