School Streets: Challenging the car

12 School Streets

SCHOOL STREETS: A POPULAR IDEA THAT IS CHALLENGING THE DOMINANCE OF THE CAR

James Cleeton from Sustrans explains how School Streets not only improve people’s quality of life locally, but can make a huge difference for entire communities

Before 2020 there were just 76 School Streets across the whole of London. Since then, Transport for London’s Healthy Streets Officers (HSOs) programme delivered by Sustrans and local authorities has helped increase this collectively to over 500, with our HSO team working on 318 of them.

School Streets help children and families to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle. They tackle the congestion, poor air quality and road safety concerns that many schools experience by temporarily restricting motor traffic at the school gates, generally at drop-off and pick-up times.

Helping schools implement longer-term switchable trips – swapping car journeys for active travel like walking, wheeling and cycling – is also part of the programme. This contributes to TfL’s Sustainable Travel: Active, Responsible, Safe scheme, which since starting in 2007 has replaced more than 22 million kilometres of car journeys with active travel.

London’s children already experience pollution levels above World Health Organisation recommended limits, and they are particularly vulnerable to air pollution as their lungs develop.

Studies have shown that School Streets reduce nitrogen dioxide by up to 23% during morning dropoff, and 18% of parents reported that they drove to school less as a result of the programme. A further 90% of parents and residents say they would support regular traffic-free streets outside schools.

Counting the cost of congestion

TfL’s finances were hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, with their resultant drop in fares. The financial challenges faced by TfL are substantial and well documented, but as traffic congestion continues to cost London’s economy £5.1bn a year, or £1,211 per driver, measures to facilitate walking, and cycling remain vital to help make neighbourhoods healthier and happier.

This is why working with London boroughs to build on the achievements of the School Streets and Healthy Streets Officers programmes, and offering continued support to them is my first priority as London director of Sustrans.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has an ambitious transport strategy, which sets the target for 80% of all trips to be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041.

It will take a major, long-term step change in how, as a society, we view getting from A to B within a world city. This is an opportunity for more and more people to experience the benefits of active travel, but people only change how they get about when it feels safe, comfortable, convenient, and is easy to do so.

Initiatives funded by TfL and the capital’s councils to show people how active travel can transform and improve their surroundings, such as School Streets, are an essential introduction to changing their assumptions about having to live with constant traffic and pollution.

In the longer term, our public realm and streets can be reimagined to prioritise people over traffic flow. And then we need to support people to take those first steps towards active travel for their local journeys.

Supporting disadvantaged residents

Needless to say, change like this is not easy. But when we make active travel possible for everyone, we can tackle climate change, air pollution and the huge health crisis. And by doing so we also make neighbourhoods places that people want to live and work.

Smaller scale initiatives like School Streets not only improve people’s quality of life locally, but taken together across London can add up to making a significant difference for entire communities.

In the past three years the number of School Streets in London has increased from 76 to more than 500

In an ideal world, we’d like to see double the number of School Streets, as part of an ambitious walking, wheeling and cycling programme for the most disadvantaged residents of the capital.

Sustrans can provide a comprehensive service to help local authorities implement School Streets. We have a team of engineers, urban designers and community engagement specialists to provide advice and resources across the UK. This includes developing policies, conducting feasibility studies, engagement support, trialling, implementation and impact monitoring.

The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly shown the need to make London’s streets better for walking, cycling, and wheeling so everyone can move around safely. I look forward to leading Sustrans in London and to using our charitable resources for the benefit of those who need them most.

We can, together, transform the way people live and move around to create a happier and fairer future. Sustrans will continue to build partnerships with schools, communities, TfL and London’s local authorities to help them deliver healthier, greener and more accessible active travel. london@sustrans.org.uk n James Cleeton is the London director for Sustrans