Innovative Peterborough ‘School Streets’ scheme nominated for prestigious award

An innovative scheme launched by Peterborough City Council which encourages active travel while keeping school children safe has been nominated for a prestigious award.

The ‘School Streets’ initiative, which was set up three years ago, has been shortlisted for a Community Involvement accolade in this year’s Local Government Chronicle (LGC) awards.

Councillor Gavin Elsey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Climate Change, said he was “delighted” that the scheme has been shortlisted for such a prestigious award.

“This is testament to the hard work of our officers and participating schools,” he said, “who have actively worked to turn this project into a highly effective initiative, which is making a positive difference in our communities.”

The scheme works by setting up a temporary road closure outside the entrance of a school, effectively making it a pedestrian-only zone during the school’s opening and closing times.

As well as improving safety for children on their way to and from school, ‘School Streets’ also encourages active travel while reducing congestion and pollution .

The success of the initiative has attracted interest elsewhere, with campaign groups such as Mums for Lungs and other local authorities most impressed by how effective it can be in helping to get children into the habit of walking and cycling.

The scheme currently has 14 schools and nurseries across the city taking part.

In addition, the council is currently working with three schools with a view to seeing them join the project.

“We are fully committed to promoting active travel throughout the city and this campaign has helped to support our priority of creating healthy and safe environments where people want to live, work, visit and play,” said Councillor Gavin Elsey.

Extensive consultation is undertaken with residents and the school community before any decisions are made about its implementation.

If a site is deemed to be suitable for the scheme then a temporary traffic regulation order is enforced which allows the road to be closed for a certain period, typically to coincide with school arrival and departure times.

The winners of the awards, which will be held at a special ceremony at Grosvenor House in London, will be announced in June.