Four new School Streets have been installed at primary schools in the borough to improve road safety for children.
Cabinet Member for Transport & Waste at Enfield Council, Cllr Rick Jewell, visited Chesterfield Primary School to meet pupils and parents to find out how the new scheme has made a positive impact to pupils’ journeys to and from school.
The three other schools to benefit from the scheme are Bowes Primary School, Latymer All Saints Primary School and Prince of Wales Primary School
School Streets are temporary road closures outside of school gates at pick-up and drop-off times which prevent motor traffic from entering the area.
The School Streets, part of Enfield Council's Journeys and Places programme, aim to encourage more Enfield pupils to walk, cycle and scoot to school safely.
The schemes also reduce emissions from motor vehicles near the school gate, so the air quality is improved around schools in hotspots of poor air quality.
Cllr Rick Jewell said: “The Council is committed to introducing more School Streets across the borough to create a Greener Enfield.
“School Streets help to tackle air pollution and create safer routes to school which is why I’m delighted we are introducing a further four School Streets in the borough.
“We will continue to plan more School Streets in areas where they are most needed. We always work closely with parents and schools along with nearby residents, as we progress new schemes.”
School Streets help make walking and cycling to school safer by cleaning up air around schools and stopping dangerous levels of traffic.
The new School Streets are enforced by an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera operated system. Residents living within School Street zones are eligible for an exemption from the restrictions.
A total of 24 School Streets are now in operation across the borough and there are plans for more to be rolled out in the near future.
In addition to introducing four new School Streets, the Council has recently installed cycle parking at seven schools to enable students to scoot or cycle to school and have dedicated space to park their scooters and bikes.
The Council’s Journeys and Places team continues to engage with schools to encourage and enable students, parents and staff to travel by walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling through Transport for London’s Travel for Life accreditation programme where 57 schools in Enfield are involved.
The Council is taking ambitious action now by pushing forward with its Climate Action Plan objectives, with headline targets to be a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2040.
Further information on School Streets can be found here
The four new School Streets and their hours of operation are:
Bowes Primary - Highworth Road between Union Road and the A406, will be in operation during term times from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 9.15am and 3pm to 3.45pm.
Chesterfield Primary - Street will operate on Chesterfield Road, Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm.
Latymer All Saints Primary - Street will operate on Granham Gardens and Dunholme Road to the junction with Northern Avenue from Monday to Friday from 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm.
Prince of Wales Primary - Street will operate on Salisbury Road from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 9am and 3pm to 3.30pm.
Cycle parking has been installed at the following seven schools: Eversley Primary, Raglan Junior, St George’s Catholic, Firs Farm Primary, Alma Primary, Highfield Primary and Merryhills Primary.