Islington Council announces 26 more School Streets by end of 2020
Islington Council is rapidly accelerating the rollout of its pioneering School Streets programme – with a further 26 schools set to benefit before the end of the year.
The new School Streets will be introduced as part of the council’s wider efforts to create people-friendly streets, improve air quality, and facilitate social distancing in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
School Streets reduce traffic outside schools at drop-off and pick-up times and help to create quieter, safer environments for children by reducing road danger and improving air quality at the school gates. In addition, they encourage active travel, enabling young people and parents to stay physically active and healthy as they travel to and from school.
Since the borough’s first School Street was introduced in November 2018, a further 12 have followed. Today’s announcement means that the number of School Streets in the borough will triple by the end of the year to 39.
The rapid acceleration of the School Streets programme is part of Islington Council’s wider efforts to create people-friendly streets, which make it easier to walk and cycle, create more space for social distancing, and are more enjoyable for local people to use. In addition, the rollout of people-friendly streets will help Islington achieve its ambitious plans to be a net zero carbon borough by 2030.
Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We’re working hard to make Islington’s streets more people-friendly, in order to make it easier and safer to walk, and to make streets better and more pleasant for all.
“The accelerated delivery of School Streets across the borough will make travelling to school safer for all our children and young people by improving air quality, reducing road danger and making it easier to socially distance. It will also create a more active borough by making it easier for children and parents to walk, cycle or use scooters to get to and from school.
“Air pollution is a major health emergency facing local people, and we know that children are particularly vulnerable to its damaging effects. That is why we are taking bold action to clean the air that children and young people breathe, and to make streets safer for all, especially school children.”
Under the scheme, streets outside schools are closed during pick-up and drop-off times in term time. Vehicles will not be permitted to enter the street between the times of operation unless they have been given an exemption. Vehicles that do not have an exemption will receive a penalty charge notice.
The 26 new School Streets will be introduced outside primary schools by the end of December 2020. Residents in the surrounding area of each School Street will receive a letter in due course informing them of the changes.
The School Streets will be installed under 18-month experimental traffic orders. After 12 months, schools, parents and neighbours will be invited to have their say on whether their School Street should remain in place permanently.
Islington Council will closely monitor all of the new School Streets to assess their impact on the local area.
For more information about the Islington School Streets programme, please click here: www.islington.gov.uk/schoolstreets
Notes to editors
The 26 schools set to benefit from the School Streets programme by the end of the year are as follows: Blessed Sacrament Primary School, The Children’s Upper House School, Copenhagen Primary School, Dania School, Gillespie Primary School, The Gower School, Grafton Primary School, Hargrave Park Primary School, Highbury Quadrant Primary School, Hungerford Primary School, Laycock Primary School, New North Academy, New River College Primary & The Bridge School, Pooles Park Primary School, Prior Weston Primary School and Children’s Centre, Sacred Heart Primary School, St Andrew’s (Barnsbury) CofE Primary School, St John’s Highbury Vale CofE Primary School, St Jude and St Paul’s CofE Primary School, St Mary Magdalene Academy, St Mary’s CofE Primary School, St Paul’s Steiner School, Thornhill Primary School, Tufnell Park Primary School, Vittoria Primary School and Whitehall Park School.
The feasibility of expanding the programme to secondary schools on local roads will be considered following this acceleration.
Contact information
If you are a member of the public with a general question about the council please view the contact information on our website or call 020 7527 2000.