Source: City of Plymouth
Stuart Road Primary Academy will be the first school in Plymouth to make traffic restrictions during morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up times permanent, following a successful 18-month trial.
The ‘Safer School Streets’ measures improve safety for all road users, make it easier for families to walk, cycle or scoot to school and create a healthier street environment with cleaner air, by closing roads to school-run and through traffic during these peak times.
They were widely welcomed by parents and local residents when they were introduced by Plymouth City Council in partnership with Sustrans in 2023. Surveys carried out by Sustrans have shown that the number of children walking to the school has increased by 37 per cent and those being driven to school has fallen by 45 per cent since the scheme was put in place.
Councillor John Stephens, the Council’s walking and cycling champion, said: “The school, parents and nearby residents called on us to put these closures in place due to inconsiderate and dangerous parking and we are really pleased they have had a positive impact.
“We work hard to encourage families to leave the car at home where possible and promote active travel (including schemes such as walk and stride and walking buses). Making sure local roads and footways are safe and accessible is a huge part of this.
“We have also made a commitment to create cleaner, greener streets and reduce our carbon emissions.
“Safer School Streets are a great way to reduce congestion and improve air quality around the school gates, make school journeys safer and healthier and tackle some of the school-run traffic issues experienced by neighbours. We hope other schools trialling these measures will see similar success.”
Headteacher Britta Nicholls said: “Staff, pupils and parents are thrilled that after several years of campaigning, we finally have permanent road closure status. This means that families can safely walk, scooter or cycle to Stuart Road Primary for daily drop off and collection without the fear of vehicles.
“This move also underpins the school’s healthy lifestyle commitment through encouragement of daily exercise by walking to school instead of using a car. Through the reduction of vehicle usage during busy school times, families benefit from reduced air pollution and enjoy the social advantage of walking to school in groups.
“We would also like to say a huge thank you to Sustrans for their tireless support and championing Stuart Road’s campaign for safer school streets with a fantastic end result.”
Every weekday during term time, the road outside the school (Palmerston Road) is closed from 7.50am to 8.50am and then from 2.45pm to 3.45pm. There will be no changes to these timings.
Families are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school or, if they need to drive to work, to ‘park and stride’ – where they park a five or 10 minute walk from the school and go the rest of the way by foot.
Access is maintained for local residents and businesses, parents and children with disabilities, the emergency services, deliveries and other service vehicles.
The measures have been trialled for 18 months under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order. The permanent Traffic Regulation Order will be advertised in the local press and on street. The school community and local residents are being made aware the scheme is being made permanent.
The decision was signed today and can be viewed on our decisions page. It may be subject to call-in for scrutiny.
For more information see our Safer School Streets page or visit the School Streets website.