to ask if you've heard of School Streets, and whether you think it's a good idea?

[Toomuchstuffwillkillme]

I just caught a bit of 'Clean Air for Kids' on R4 about School Streets in Hackney. Had not heard about it. (Must listen to whole programme properly in a bit!)
Seems like the sort of thing we should all be thinking about? I appreciate actually getting car-loving parents on board might be difficult, and there are probably a lot of issues that would need ironing out, but worth a try?
hackney.gov.uk/article/4379/School-streets

We're not talking about rural areas for goodness sake. We are talking about densely populated areas with high traffic. For those that want to know their local air pollution rating download the app "air visual" - today Reading is rated moderate air pollution, those with asthma are asked not to do outside exercise. This is real stuff and a real threat to our health and those who are vulnerable such as those with COPD and children with growing lungs.

Owlina- it completely affects me. Clean air affects us all. But I imagine what you mean is that it doesn't affect me cos I don't drive.That's a life choice that I made a long time ago- to live in a place where everything is easily accessible. So no it doesn't affect me in that way because i live 5 mins from the school but I also benefit from these schemes as i cycle through them. No congestion, no double parking, no parking on zigzags - bliss.

How would it work in a densely populated town with high traffic that serves a rural area and has crap public transport?

Maybe in big cities like London but not everywhere.

This whole thread just shows how city centric MN is.

This whole thread is about schemes that are currently being implemented in cities so yes it is a city centric thread. I've read many threads that are not city centric so no mn is not.

Nowhere does it say that. The thread is about extending the current schemes to new areas.

I’m pointing out that there are vast swathes of the nation and many many people, for whom and where the schemes would not work.

Even if I lived in a city, because I’ve no blue badge I wouldn’t get a permit. So what would I do? I cannot walk. I’m on crutches. I can’t ride a bike. If I lived in a city, I’d have to drive. Because I can’t walk. But I wouldn’t get an exception.

What would I be supposed to do?

So what do you suggest then bluebadge? I can understand your issues with this scheme but something needs doing so what do you think should be done to tackle the issue?

I don’t know. I’m not proposing the scheme.

Dedicated school buses that collect the children would be a start. That’s what DD’s primary did - kids were collected from their houses, or very close to them (end of farm lane for eg).

What would you suggest as the solution for someone like me? If I lived in an area where this were implemented? Since you’re proposing and in favour of the idea?

This whole thread just shows how city centric MN is

I tend to agree, cergainly with regards to threads centring around reducing car usage.

I had a long discussion with a poster who simply wouldn’t (or couldn’t?) accept that there are places in England where it isn’t as easy as “jump on public transport”. Her position was anyone who uses a car for anything unless they have problems with mobility is lazy.

My position is talk to people. Rather than throw insults, find out what could change to encourage them to be more environmentally conscious. I’ve been involved with various campaigns on a local level and we’ve found that is far more successful.

I’m not proposing it nor in favour of if, as I have said more than once on the thread what needs doing needs to be taken on a school by school area by area basis. But something needs doing.

And by doing something it should help those who need it. Ds is a blue badge holder i often can’t park close to school at all because of people driving and pushing to park as close as possible. If schemes are out in place to move people away from the car as default then that will actively help those who need to use it.

To get to my nearest town from the village I live in, I have to use the car.

There are two buses a day - one in the morning, going out of the village and one in the evening going to the village, and they don’t go to that nearest town, they go to and from another town that is further away.

They don’t work for start and finish times at work, they’re set to collect and drop kids at school.

blue how would you propose to stop the manic, illegal parking and idling around school gates at school run times then?

I’m not arguing for a change. That’s for those who want the change to propose.

I’ve already suggested dedicated school buses.

BluebadgenPIP the 'solution' for you is that, well, you should have a blue badge. I'd speculate from your name that your council is one that ties BB eligibility to DLA/PIP, even as PIP is a proven shitshow.

My kids school is on a very narrow road of mainly terraced houses, with (mainly residents) parked cars. Beyond is a housing estate.

The school road is the only access in and out of the housing estate. If you closed it you would be stopping 100's of residents from having access to and from their home for two hours a day. One of those hours being when most people need to get to work.

isittheholidaysyet

OP’s first posts detailing these schemes say that residents can apply for an exemption. So if you live within the roads that are closed, you’d be able to get an exemption and carry on driving as normal.

Hello,

For those of you who would like to find out more about School Streets schemes, there's this new website with info, examples and how to get a conversations started about it. This is obviously not suitable for all schools but worth discussing as the daily mayhem at the school gate is fairly consistent everywhere: schoolstreets.org.uk/

Another one here who doesn’t see how it would work with our local school. You would cut off sole access to several different housing estates. I’m fine with the whole area being double-yellowed, with provisions for those that are disabled.

Then again I’d be happy with everything being double-yellowed and only having dedicated parking areas which do not involve taking up the road.

I would love to see this on the side streets near my DD's school but it's on an A road so that would have to remain open. It would be helpful if that was entirely no parking though (it has some that you can't park in for school but it's dangerous for children trying to cross).

I think the primary school admissions system needs sorting out completely in England and I think a solution that considered children's AND parents' transport needs would help the most. I fantasise about a shuttle minibus connecting the town centre one side with the rail station the other side of DD's school which I could catch with her and she could just hop out.

Instead I park at a friend's house a few mins' walk from the school. I use public transport into central London but without the car being left near the school her day would be 6.45am to 6.30pm which is too long for a 6 year old.

If we really wanted to solve this problem in London suburbs like mine, you'd have to actually provide transport that worked.

Having said that, there is a load of selfish parking round her school and the size of the cars people drive these days definitely doesn't help.

There is no excuse at all for leaving your engine running, either.

I'd be so annoyed if my DDs school did this.

It's one road, no side roads which would mean parking down the bottom of a hill and walking up. I currently am able to park close so that she can get out and go straight in so I can rush to work.

I'd end up late for work if they did this.