Peterborough pupils and teachers embrace safer school run

Following government funding aimed at encouraging cycling and walking, along with continued funding from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Peterborough City Council wrote to all schools inviting them to take part in the ‘School Streets’ scheme earlier this year.

By creating a school street, schools can temporarily close a road outside their entrance, enabling it to become a pedestrian and cycle/scoot zone during the school’s opening and closing times.

This also helps to implement social distancing to comply with Covid-19 safety measures and encourage active travel, with the added benefit of reducing congestion and pollution at the school gates and improving safety for children on their way to and from school.

Schools to take part in the scheme include Brewster Avenue Infant & Nursery School; Orton St John Pre-School; St Thomas More Catholic Nursery; Southfields Primary; St Michael's Church School; St Johns Church School (Orton); Lime Academy Parnwell; St Thomas More Catholic Primary School and St John Fisher Catholic High School

Councillor Peter Hiller, Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for strategic planning and commercial strategy and investments, said: “We're delighted that the scheme is proving successful, creating safe areas outside schools has many positive effects for pupils, parents, teachers and school staff. As a council, we are fully committed to developing healthy and safe environments which will help our communities to flourish."

Charlene Foster, Head of School at St. John’s Church School in Orton Goldhay, which has recently adopted the scheme said it has made a really positive impact. “We used to have a lot of traffic congestion and parking issues before and after school, which was causing difficulties for our pupils, parents and nearby residents. The school streets scheme is working really well, because it is helping to make the school run process much calmer for everyone. Our parents and school community are very grateful, it gives them peace of mind knowing that the main road outside of school is less busy at the times that their children are coming and going to and from school.”

The council is still receiving requests from school and will be implementing a number of schemes after the October half term. We are however, keen to hear from any schools that are interested in adopting the initiative. If a school street scheme is adopted, the council will work to support the initiative under a temporary traffic regulation order for up to 18 months.

Once a school street is in place, cones and signs will be put across the road to prevent vehicle accessing the area during school drop-off and pick-up time periods. The closure will need to be put up and taken down on a daily basis, and will not apply at weekends and during school holidays. Access will be maintained for residents, staff, blue badge holders and emergency/service vehicles.

Schools will need to put forward volunteers to help run the scheme and the council will provide full training and resources free of charge. The scheme will then be owned and operated by the school community, with support from the council.

For more information about the scheme contact Sustainable Transport Planning Officer Rebecca Presland ([email protected])