Councils given guidance for setting up School Streets

Active Travel England and the Department for Transport have published guidance to help local authorities in England set up and run School Street schemes. 

More than 180 school streets around the country have already benefitted from the government’s Active Travel Fund.

For the purposes of this guidance, School Streets are defined as being ‘a road outside a school with a restriction on motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day.’

The guidance shows how such schemes increase active travel on the school run, how much they are supported by parents and residents in the nearby community, and that they do not cause significant road safety issues through traffic displacement.

However, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and there are many things to consider when planning to implement a school street.

The guidance talks through the process of school selection – is there evidence of traffic-related problems near the school? Is the school supportive of the idea? Is there a potential for active travel? 

It also covers potential scheme designs, whether it covers a whole street, part of a street or several streets around the school. The aim, it says, is to ‘develop a scheme layout that maximises the effectiveness of a School Street in delivering its objectives whilst minimising undesirable impacts.’

Once a scheme has been designed then comes implementation, enforcement and  the question of who is responsible for what after it has been launched. All of which are examined in the document.

The full guidance, along with relevant case studies, can be accessed here.

National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman said: ‘The majority of kids have told us they want to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle to school – it’s what they want, and it’s what we want for them. It is vital that we give them the opportunity to bookend their day in the classroom with fresh air and exercise, helping them build healthy travel habits for life.

‘Through our new School Streets guidance, we will be able to better design activity into our neighbourhoods and help make life happier and healthier for future generations, all while reducing congestion on the roads during school run times for residents and businesses – it’s win-win for everyone.’

Rachel Toms, Director of Urbanism at active travel charity Sustrans, said: ‘It’s great to see guidance from Active Travel England for setting up School Streets – one of the top ways to make it safer to travel actively to and from school, with benefits for children, families and the wider community.

‘Sustrans has been transforming the school run for years, making it easier, cheaper, and fun, for millions of children across the UK to walk, wheel or cycle to school. Research suggests that by travelling actively to school, children are more alert and engaged in class, are healthier and enjoy spending quality time with their friends and family.

‘We look forward to working with councils to realise their ambitions around making it easier to walk, wheel and cycle, giving children what they want – an enjoyable, healthy and sociable journey to school.’