Success of Sheffield School Streets road safety scheme spreading across city

The city primary schools currently undergoing trials in Sheffield City Council’s School Streets scheme are Anns Grove, Athelstan, Byron Wood, Carfield, Greystones, Hunters Bar Juniors, Nether Edge, Porter Croft and Westways.

Certain roads around the schools are closed to all traffic except residents or businesses with a permit during term time during hours when pupils are arriving and leaving. The aim is to reduce air pollution and congestion in those streets and to encourage pupils to walk or cycle instead of getting a lift.

Four schools that have already been through the process had their School Streets status made permanent by the council in September. They are Carfield Primary School in Heeley, Nether Edge Primary School, Greystones Primary School and Porter Croft Primary Academy.

Coun Mazher Iqbal, who co-chairs the council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee, said: “Parking is the biggest problem in our communities. Dangerous parking, parents for whatever reason rushing and really being inconsiderate regarding other pupils.”

He added: “All we see are queues of cars. If people plan their journeys a bit better, you are not going to see this problem. The other benefit is improving conditions for parents and guardians who walk their children to school.”

Air pollution

He said that cars manoeuvring on streets near schools have put small children in danger. Cars idling also increases air pollution and many schools have signs up urging drivers to switch off their engines.

Above all, the aim of School Streets is to encourage parents and carers to leave their cars at home where possible. “The catchment area isn’t going to be miles and miles away,” said Coun Iqbal.

He stressed that Sheffield has the highest number of deaths of children aged up to 15 outside London, mainly due to road accidents.

The response from children at schools that have safety measures is “fantastic”, he said. “They feel a lot safer.”

In total, there are more than 130 primary schools across the city. The School Streets programme will eventually roll out to all those schools where it is needed.

Council senior transport planner Kat Harrison said: “In some locations it wouldn’t be the practical solution. If you’ve got a school on a main arterial road or on a crossroads, you’re not going to close that off to through traffic for half an hour.”

Pleasant environment

“More people have more cars,” said Ms Harrison. “There’s less consideration for other road users including cyclists and pedestrians. One School Streets school had a couple of instances where some people have some really poor queuing behaviour.”

Parents trying to walk children safely across the road had been shouted at by drivers, she said.

Ms Harrison said that it was understood that some parents have to drive their children if they are at more than one school but the answer could be to park further away and walk the rest of the way. “If you haven’t got three to five minutes, you need to make that time,” she added.

The last thing that children trying to get to school across narrow roads need is an SUV parked right at the gates or turning in the road, said Ms Harrison.

She pointed out that School Streets also make a more pleasant environment for residents living nearby, who have to put up with queues of cars outside their homes.

Coun Iqbal said: “We’re trying to make it safer for everyone, including drivers. If you’re parking further down, you’re just being mindful. If it was happening outside your house, how would you feel?”

Active travel challenge

Ms Harrison said that getting children to travel actively to school early on could lead to healthier habits in the long term. “It becomes a normal thing for you to do – if you cycle to secondary school, you’re more likely to cycle to college, university or your job,” she said,

Schools involved in the project do a lot of preparatory work on promoting active travel, said Ms Harrison. “We don’t just rock up and say we’ll close the road.

“Schools have already done hard work and tried things such as five-minute walking. Kids go out with a map and walk five minutes and walk into school.

“A lot of people assume that the car is quicker – bundling two kids into the car, finding somewhere to park and getting the kids and their things out is not the quickest option.

“We also run a 10-day active travel challenge – they get the bug and realise it’s possible and they’ve had a really nice 10 days. School Streets isn’t just a stand-alone way to solve a problem, it’s part of a much bigger pack of measures.”

Schools also run cycle training.

15-minute neighbourhoods

Coun Iqbal added that the pandemic saw more people walking and cycling and the council is promoting a policy of creating 15-minute neighbourhoods, where most services and facilities are close to hand.

Although the idea is to gain support for School Streets, some enforcement may be necessary, such as the use of automatic number plate recognition cameras. Ms Harrison said that if drivers are fined, word can get around quickly.

Changes are made by imposing an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) that is advertised and publicised locally and signs are put up. Public consultation over the first six months gives people time to object.

The objections are then assessed and a decision made by the council whether to continue with the order permanently.

For more information on the current trial School Steets closures, go to www.sheffield.gov.uk/roads-pavements/school-street-closures

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