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

Posted too soon..

Where we live there are 4 primary schools in a small area, if the cars had to stay outside an exclusion zone the rest of the small town would be gridlocked and no-one would be going anywhere.

Surely the first thing that needs to be tackled is ensuring more people get into their catchment i.e. usually walking distance school.

I don't see how an exclusion zone would work in some areas, however in our local town a number of the schools are working on a campaign for engines to be always off when parked which has had some good results.

I'm also in favour of a massive clampdown on poor parking - have people handing out fines to people who park on double yellows/pavements.

I'm in a Scottish city, nobody in our catchment lives more than 15 minutes walk, most people nearer five. Our school has almost 90% of people walking or cycling to school. We are constantly trying to get the streets closed on this scheme.

When people are asked why they don't stop one street away, they say it is because it is too dangerous for their child to walk that little bit by themselves - the reason it is dangerous is because of everybody juggling their cars into this tiny space. It's horrible, a little cul-de-sac with everyone either reversing up it or doing a 37 point turn - beeping at each other.

For our school pollution is a red herring, but it feels like just a matter of time before there is an accident. The school already has a walking bus, breakfast club and a walking buddy scheme for parents that need help on the school run or need to get to work.

It is irrelevant if rural or suburban schools have different needs, this is something aimed at city schools.

There are a couple of these in Edinburgh where the side streets were becoming completely jammed and then backing up onto main roads. It doesn’t affect through traffic as previously nobody could drive through anyway. The two I know of seem to work well, but obviously it only works in some situations.

brilliant idea and hopefully it will happen at DD's school. Handily we have a few local councillors as parents and the council in general is very anti-car.

There are many reasons why things can’t change, then they change & people find it’s fine and better than before.

As pp said the plastic bag charge has happened, the reduction in bags is high but there are still people who buy bags - just not many

"What are you on about? Please explain how fewer cars on the road will be detrimental to adults and children with mobility issues."

You need to ensure that those people need to be able to go where they want to go to. If the only exception is those with a blue badge it will mean that many people with mobility difficulties won't be able to do that.
Sort out the problems caused by people without disabilities acting selfishly without it impacting on those who rely on cars ( because they cannot walk, cycle or use public transport) to have any quality of life.

I guess maybe there could be restrictions on the types of roads that could be closed at certain points during the day, meaning in areas where the exclusion scheme would work then it is implemented?

Leaving disability out of it I could see it working in some schools in cities but it wouldn't work in many rural schools and schools in towns. There would be too many well used roads closed off.

Jacques I would say that 90%, probably higher, walk to DD's school. But every single school in our London borough has over-the-limit levels of pollution (can't remember what this is officially). And her school is on a residential road - but less than 5 mins walk from a very busy junction with buses and lorries and god knows what belching out fumes.

If you start a sentence with "leaving (insert minority group) out of it", you're on the road to discrimination, especially if you're discussing a proposed policy.

In theory it's a great idea but I suspect in reality all it will do is push the problem 3 or 4 streets away. I only live a mile from school but I have to take the car on work days or else I won't make it to the train on time.

Weeping

I'm very much in favour of the scheme where it can be implemented, but there are schools where it simply couldn't be due to the positioning.

I can think of three around here off the top of my head, two primaries and one secondary (although whether it would be implemented for secondaries I'm not sure!) where it just couldn't happen.

ColeHawlins that's because I had been talking about the disability discrimination part before. I should probably have started that sentence differently.

Sort out the problems caused by people without disabilities acting selfishly without it impacting on those who rely on cars ( because they cannot walk, cycle or use public transport) to have any quality of life.

I think that is what this initiative is trying to do. Surely if you can’t walk, cycle, or use public transport you are eligible for a blue badge?

I only live a mile from school but I have to take the car on work days or else I won't make it to the train on time.

Try your bike instead. I walk mine to school/bus stop (2 diff schools) then head to the station on my bike. Faster & much less stressful. Of course, it might involve a little effort on your part...

No you are not. If someone can walk 50m so well under the sort of limits being talked about you are unlikely to get a blue badge. It's possible to have a motability car and not be entitled to a blue badge.

Of course, it might involve a little effort on your part...

Of course, you do understand that not everyone is able to ride a bike...

Jacques oh, absolutely. But I think the scheme shouldn't have to be 'either all school streets must do this, or none'. IE, it shouldn't not happen just because it's too hard to impose/enforce in some schools. Where it can happen, it should.

waffle waffle waffle.

Where it can happen, it should

Yup I'm in total agreement with you

Surely if you can’t walk, cycle, or use public transport you are eligible for a blue badge?

A common misconception sadly. As I said earlier, I had my mobility problems for 3 yrs before I was finally granted a blue badge.

I can't see how it could possibly work with my dc's school. It's on the main route from the motorway to the city centre. There's a supermarket directly opposite, plus a doctors surgery and a library next door.

And all you can say is “ooooh well I might not make it to work in time.” Disgusting

I'm presuming you mean a generic "you" - my commute is the most environmentally conscious of all, I work from home

And I've generally come to the conclusion that in some areas catchments mean absolutely nothing.

We didn't get into our local school (yup, we're in "catchment") yet I know people much further away who did (and without any of the criteria which quite rightly mean they should take priority).