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31 schools apply to have car-free zones on nearby roads

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Some schools have been getting the message across themselves

Proposals to introduce up to eight more School Streets across Croydon have been widely supported, with 31 of the borough’s schools having applied to have car-free zones on the roads near them during the rush hour.

Ten schools at eight sites have been shortlisted for the trial, with letters written to the schools and the surrounding communities.

The council has this week claimed “hundreds of responses” to a public engagement, with two-thirds supporting the scheme. A formal consultation on the traffic orders needed to create the School Streets is set to go ahead.

The proposals build on a successful pilot scheme last year at three Croydon schools that saw temporary pedestrian zones that only operate during the school run. This led to 250 fewer children travelling to school by car, with most of them walking, cycling or scooting instead.

The schools shortlisted this time are:

Some of the proposed road restrictions can be very complex.

For example, in the case of Regina Coeli Primary and the large secondary Harris Academy Purley, the schools share a cul de sac, Kendra Hall Road, off the busy bus route that is Pampisford Road.

The staff and parents at Regina Coeli are aware of the increasing traffic problems near their school

Pampisford Road is supposed to be in a 20mph zone, but this has been rarely enforced in the two years since introduced.

There are also two other schools within a quarter of a mile of Kendra Hall Road, neither of which under any car-free zone will be subject to parking restrictions (with good reason in the case of St Giles’ special school), but this is likely to undermine the potential impact of any parking proposals, or indeed make traffic issues on the main road during the school run even worse. 

Stuart King, the council cabinet member for incinerators and unenforced speed restrictions, said: “I’m pleased the new School Street proposals have been so popular.

Stuart King: 31 schools have applied for car-free zone status

“These schemes make the area around a school entrance safer. They have also been shown to encourage parents to walk their children to school, with fewer school run trips as a result. That means less congestion, safer schools and healthier pupils.

“In total 31 schools have expressed an interest in getting a School Street so the council will be working hard to roll this popular scheme out across the borough as soon as we can.”

 


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