School Streets: guidance for local authorities - 2. School Streets: what and why

Throughout this guidance, we define a School Street as:

a road outside a school with a restriction on motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day.

School Street schemes may cover part of a road, a whole road or even several roads near a school. Restrictions on motor vehicles operate every weekday throughout the school year (they are not one-off road closure events). Motor vehicles are not permitted to enter the School Street during its hours of operation at drop off and pick up times unless they have been granted an exemption. Exemptions generally include (but are not limited to) vehicles belonging to residents, blue badge holders and the emergency services.

School Streets began in Bolzano, Italy, in the late 1980s.

They were first introduced in the UK by East Lothian Council in 2014 and by City of Edinburgh Council in 2015.

In Wales, early examples of School Streets were delivered in Cardiff and Caerphilly. Many other Welsh local authorities have now trialled the implementation of School Streets schemes. 

There are other approaches to creating School Streets, such as permanent point closures, however these fall outside the scope of this introductory guidance. Planning for new schools and school extensions should also consider from the start how the public realm around the school will enable safe active travel. This too is beyond the scope of this guidance. 

Active Travel Act Guidance provides useful information on considerations for new developments.

School Streets can improve the experiences of pupils, staff, visitors, and neighbours alike at peak arrival and departure times. Schemes can support the delivery of a range of benefits at the individual, school, neighbourhood and broader local authority level, including:

• reduced congestion and improved air quality outside schools
• reduced road danger from traffic and improve the perception of safety outside the school
• increased levels of walking, wheeling and cycling to school and reduced number of children being driven to school
• enhanced opportunities for social interaction and play
• improved physical and mental health amongst pupils
• reduced conflict with neighbours due to antisocial or nuisance parking by parents/guardians
• developing early active travel habits which can be carried into later life

Implementing School Streets can also help local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty to promote the use of active and sustainable modes of travel to school as set out in the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 and associated guidance.

A review of School Streets carried out by Edinburgh Napier University for the Road Safety Trust found that in nearly all cases where School Streets had been implemented: 

• the total number of motor vehicles across School Streets and neighbouring streets reduced during the hours of operation
• active travel to school increased
• schemes were supported by most parents of school pupils as well as residents living on the School Street and neighbouring streets
• traffic displacement from the School Streets to neighbouring streets did not cause road safety issues of any significance

The results from Hackney’s initial trial of School Streets (as reported in its School Streets toolkit) included a 51% increase in cycling to school, a 30% increase in walking and a 74% reduction in tailpipe emissions. 

Research for Mums for Lungs and Possible carried out by the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy and Transport for Quality of Life found that School Streets can reduce air pollution and traffic danger outside the school gate. 

School Streets can become the subject of unfounded myths if efforts are not made to explain to stakeholders how a scheme will operate, particularly how undesirable impacts will be reduced or avoided entirely. 

Authorities should address these issues with stakeholders early on to prevent any misconceptions from gaining widespread credibility and affecting levels of support for a scheme. 

Myth 1: School Streets delay the response of emergency services

Reality: Emergency service vehicles are exempt from School Street restrictions so can access locations within a School Street zone and use roads in the zone to travel to emergencies at other locations.

Myth 2: School Streets disadvantage Blue Badge holders

Reality: A Blue Badge holder who requires access to a School Street zone during operational hours can apply for a permit that exempts their vehicle from traffic restrictions.

Myth 3: School Streets prevent teachers and other school staff from getting to their place of work

Reality: Traffic restrictions are in force for short periods that coincide with pupil drop off and pick up times. In many cases, teachers/other school staff who rely on a car will arrive before the restrictions come into force and will not be negatively affected by the scheme. Vehicles already parked within a School Street before the restrictions apply can leave at any time.

Myth 4: It is impossible to make deliveries to addresses inside a School Street zone

Reality: It is worth noting that congestion outside of many schools already hinders easy deliveries. School Street schemes restrict motorised traffic for limited periods of time: most operate for 2 hours (or less) in a 24-hour period and during term-time only (just over 50% of days in a calendar year). As a result, only a proportion of all deliveries will be affected, and it may be possible to reschedule some of these so that they are made outside a scheme’s hours of operation. For deliveries that cannot be rescheduled, authorities can minimise the impact of a School Street by keeping the zone small so that delivery drivers can park nearby and walk goods a short distance to their destination. If this is not feasible, authorities can also consider applications for a permit exempting delivery vehicles from the restrictions.

Myth 5: School Streets are only suitable for high density areas where pupils live within walking and wheeling distance of the school

Reality: School Street schemes can also work for lower density areas and schools with larger catchment areas, if complementary measures are delivered to support cycling and multi-modal journeys that combine public transport or car/van trips with walking and wheeling (for example, by introducing measures such as 'park and stride' sites).

Myth 6: School Streets force people to stop driving which is discriminatory to parents who need to drive

Reality: Authorities can minimise the impact of a School Street by keeping the zone small so parents that must drive are likely only impacted by a slightly longer walk to the school gates. Authorities may wish to introduce complimentary measures such as 'park and stride' sites or operate an exemption policy for parents that must drive due to, for example, a disability.