A successful School Streets scheme relies upon the school working closely with our dedicated Active Travel Interventions Team team here at Kent County Council. This scheme provides a holistic and collaborative approach to dealing with issues such as poor air quality, congestion, and irresponsible parking outside the school gates. School Streets schemes have also been shown to increase the numbers of “active travel” journeys to and from school and this can contribute to healthier minds and bodies all round.
Naturally, there are a number of factors that will need to be considered before a School Streets scheme can be explored. To help you decide whether a School Streets scheme could be suitable for your school site we have noted a few of the key criteria below to give you an idea of the requirements and considerations:
The School:
- must have an up-to-date School Travel Plan in place.
- must be able to release staff to set out and oversee the road closure.
(Note: KCC will facilitate the training requirements for the school staff responsible for this aspect) - will agree to work collaboratively with KCC to ensure that Road Safety education is provided to support the introduction of the School Streets scheme.
- will agree to provide regular monitoring and progress updates regarding the School Streets scheme.
The School Street:
- must not be on an ‘A’ road or on the main thoroughfare of a town or village
- will ideally not be on a main route for a regular public transport bus service
- will ideally not be on the main or only access road for businesses based close to the school
- should have the backing, in principle, of the local councillor or MP
If you feel that a School Streets scheme may not be a suitable option for your site, there are other initiatives that the Active Travel Interventions team can advise you of, such as:
- Grant funding opportunities,
- School Travel Plans
- Responsible Parking toolkit
- Active travel initiatives
More useful resources are available.