School Streets

Even in a borough with low car ownership such as Lambeth, roads around schools are often clogged with traffic at the beginning and end of the school day.

Limited parking around most schools in the borough means drivers often park in the most dangerous places right outside school gates or even stop in the middle of the road. This puts themselves and children arriving at school at risk. Local residents are also often inconvenienced by inconsiderate parking and poor driving practices.

In some parts of the borough, rat running along streets with schools on them increases the safety fears of parents. The resulting environment for those walking, cycling or scooting to school is far from ideal and discourages some families from choosing these active means of travel. This has a knock-on effect on children’s activity levels as well as creating dangerous levels of air pollution in the vicinity of the school.

A guiding principle within the Lambeth Transport Strategy is the “...focus on people rather than traffic to enable people to travel safely and live healthier, more enjoyable lives”. The implementation of school road closures is recommended as a means of enabling “walking and cycling to school, particularly where car use is high, to reduce motor traffic, tackle health issues and improve air quality.”