Issue details

High traffic levels outside schools pose road safety risks to all road users, including pedestrians, create congestion and obstruct access for residents and the emergency services.
Removing vehicular traffic at certain times of the day from roads in the vicinity of school entrances will facilitate safer journeys for children travelling to school and make active travel options (cycling and walking) viable and more appealing.
The Council first introduced “School Streets” in 2023 - a School Street seeks to provide safe, primarily traffic free environments, outside schools. In turn, this encourages active travel measures to be used for the school drop off and pickup journeys, improving children’s wellbeing and reducing emissions from vehicles. School Streets are a nationwide initiative that are being promoted and funded across Greater Manchester by TfGM.
For a school street to be enforceable, there is a requirement to introduce a ‘Prohibition of Motor Vehicles (except for permit holders) Traffic Regulation Order’. This will prohibit vehicles entering the lengths of carriageway designated as the school street in the restricted hours.
On 22 November 2023, the Council introduced an Experimental Traffic Order to restrict vehicle access to Buckstones Primary School. Following positive feedback from the school and residents during this trial period, it is proposed to introduce the School Street restriction using a permanent traffic regulation order, supported with additional parking restrictions.