More school streets planned to keep cars away from school gates

Roads outside more Birmingham schools are set to close to traffic at the start and end of the school day, under plans to keep cars away from school gates.

The city council wants to expand its School Streets scheme, which turns the road outside a school into a traffic-free zone at drop-off and pick-up times. Parents would no longer be able to park right outside to wait for their children, and would be encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport where they can.

What the plan says

The Birmingham Transport Plan, the council's blueprint for the future of the city's roads, commits to "implement further School Streets measures across the city to restrict car speed and access, manage parking around school locations, and encourage active travel for pupils".

"Parking will be restricted outside schools for air quality and road safety reasons," it says.

The plan also sets out the council's aim for 20mph to become the standard speed limit on residential streets. "Cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools," it says.

How School Streets work

School Streets schemes have been introduced by councils across the country. Signs and, in some places, cameras mark the closure, which usually applies for about 45 minutes to an hour at the start and end of the school day. Residents who live on the street, blue badge holders and emergency vehicles are normally exempt, and drivers who enter without permission can be fined.

Supporters say the schemes make the school run safer, cut pollution where children gather, and encourage more families to walk or cycle. Studies of schemes in London found fewer cars outside schools and more children travelling actively.

Concerns about displaced parking

Some parents and residents worry that the problem simply moves to nearby streets. One Birmingham Live reader said: "Sounds like a good idea but what it really means is parents will just block roads further away from the schools."

Others have raised concerns about driveways being blocked on roads just outside the closed zones.

Part of a wider push

The plans are part of the council's wider road safety drive, which includes lowering speed limits and redesigning dangerous junctions. Children's exposure to traffic and to air pollution has been a growing concern, and the area around a school gate at drop-off time is often one of the most congested places on a local road network.

Any new School Street would need a traffic order, which is advertised and open to comment, so parents and neighbours will have a chance to give their views on each scheme before it is introduced.

The council has not yet said which schools would be next, or when. School Streets work best, councils have found, when they are planned with the school, parents and neighbours, so that families know the alternatives before the road closes and residents are not caught out by the restrictions.