School Streets: guidance for local authorities - 4. Implementing School Streets

A School Street is created using standard vehicle access restrictions. Most School Street schemes impose restrictions for short windows (commonly an hour) coinciding with school drop-off and pick-up times on weekdays during term times.

A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will need to be made to give effect to the restriction and allow effective enforcement. 

There are 3 main types of TRO, which may be relevant for School Street schemes:

Permanent (PTRO)

This process includes prior consultation on the proposed scheme, the publication of notices regarding the proposals, a 21-day notice period for statutory consultees and others to log objections; there can be a public inquiry in some circumstances.

Experimental (ETRO)

These are used to trial schemes that may then be made permanent. Authorities must put in place monitoring arrangements and carry out ongoing consultation once the measure is put in place to help decide if the scheme should be made permanent.

Although the initial implementation period can be quick, residents and businesses should still be given an opportunity to comment on proposed changes and the need for extra monitoring and consultation afterwards can add to costs.

Schemes made using experimental orders will be subject to an ongoing objection period for 6 months once in place This allows a trial scheme to be adjusted in the light of experience and feedback, which can lead to a more suitable scheme overall.

Temporary (TTRO)

These can be made for the reasons set out in section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and, in general, can be in place for up to 18 months. There is a 7-day notice period before making the TRO and a 14-day notification requirement after it is made, plus other publicity/notice requirements.

It is also recommended that authorities consult residents and businesses at the design stage to ensure schemes will not have unintended consequences.

For School Streets, permanent or experimental TROs are likely to be the most appropriate.

The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 set out the procedure for permanent and experimental orders.

The Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Procedure Regulations 1992 set out the procedure for temporary orders.

When preparing the TRO, it may be helpful to consult the British Parking Association’s best practice guide on Traffic Regulation Orders.

All traffic signs used in conjunction with School Streets must be as prescribed by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 or as specially authorised by Welsh Government.

Bilingual/Welsh language versions of traffic signs can be found on Traffic signs and road markings. 

School Streets are signed using the prescribed ‘no motor vehicle’ (diagram 619) or ‘pedestrian and cycle zone’ (diagram 618.3C) traffic signs, available at Traffic signs: regulatory signs (schedule 2).

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Where a ‘pedestrian and cycle zone’ sign is used at the entrance to the School Street, installing a ‘pedestrian and cycle zone ends’ sign (diagram 618.4B) at the end of the zone can be helpful to road users.

As School Streets usually operate only in term-time, flap-type signs are recommended that can be folded to show a blank face during school holidays. Arrangements will need to be made for carrying this out, including access and keyholding.

Cardiff City Council has made use of electronic ‘flashing’ signs and notes. They make the restrictions clear and highly visible, as well as negating the need for officer time in attending sites to ‘flip’ the static signs during school holidays when the restrictions are not active.

General advice on sign design and placement is given in Chapter 3 of the Traffic Signs Manual. The Appendix C: Wales Variations is due to be updated following implementation of the default 20mph speed limit. Once reviewed this will be available on the Welsh Government website. 

There are no specific requirements for pedestrian and cycle zone signs used for School Streets, but the general requirement to ensure drivers can see signs in time to be aware of an upcoming restriction and act on it should be borne in mind.

Local publicity in advance of the scheme going live will help drivers familiarise themselves with the new restriction. It may be suitable to sign a diversion route for through traffic, especially if it is desirable to keep rat-running to a minimum.

Enforcement of School Street restrictions can be carried out by local authorities where they have taken on the powers to do so under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Information on applying for Part 6 powers is available in the guidance to local authorities.

It is recommended that local authorities allow for a minimum of 6 months for the process to apply for these powers. The powers allow local authorities to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to any non-exempt motor vehicles entering the School Street during its hours of operation.

The police retain powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for contraventions of School Street restrictions even if the local authority has taken on the Part 6 powers. If the police and the local authority initiate enforcement for the same contravention, police action would take precedence.

Automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras can be used to enforce School Streets by issuing PCNs remotely to registered keepers of non-exempt motor vehicles.

Cameras can be fixed or in a mobile unit.

Mobile cameras can be a more cost-effective option, as they can be moved between sites, allowing spot checks across multiple School Streets and other locations. 

If CCTV enforcement is used, authorities should consider alerting drivers to this by installing the advisory sign prescribed by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 for areas in which enforcement cameras are in use (diagram 878).

In line with the statutory guidance on enforcing moving traffic offences, authorities should issue warning notices for first-time contraventions.

Where the local authority has not taken on enforcement powers, the enforcement of School Street restrictions remains a police responsibility. 

Given the competing pressures on police resources, it is important to engage with the police at an early stage in the development of plans for a School Street to understand what support and enforcement they will be able to provide. 

Use of barriers

Some School Streets have been implemented using portable barriers and volunteer stewards. This approach needs careful thought and is unlikely to be an appropriate solution.

Maintaining a stewarded and barriered School Street has significant resource implications which may risk the long-term viability of a scheme; some authorities are moving away from this approach as ‘volunteer fatigue’ results in fewer willing stewards coming forward over time. Volunteer harassment has unfortunately been a problem in some areas as well, which may also contribute to a reluctance to get involved. Volunteer stewards do not have the legal power to stop traffic but must rely on the signs and barriers.

A physical barrier creates a road closure, which is different to an access restriction. Barriers cannot be used to give effect to a TRO for ‘no motor vehicle’ access restrictions, as these are different and must be signed as shown above.

‘No motor vehicle’ signing should not be used in conjunction with barriers, as this creates a conflict between the vehicle access restriction and the road closure which will make enforcement difficult. 

A road closure requires a TRO, in the same way an access restriction does. Closures are usually put in place for road works or special events with temporary TROs. A temporary TRO can only be made for specific reasons and is unlikely to be suitable for a permanent, part-time restriction for School Streets. 

Exceptions from a closure cannot be provided as comprehensively as with an access restriction; as well as the physical barrier making it harder for permit holders to access the road, there is no equivalent of the sign plate showing ‘except permit holders’ or similar. 

Requiring volunteers to open the barrier to allow permit holders through is not appropriate as it puts an onus on them to determine if the driver is a genuine permit holder and opens them up to possible harassment and abuse, and potential road safety risks. 

Road closure signs and barriers are not enforceable by local authorities as they are not included within Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, meaning engagement with the police will be needed at an early stage of scheme development.

If used, barriers must incorporate the sign shown in Diagram 7105 and prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

Barrier designs used for roadworks and other temporary situations will incorporate this. White-on-red temporary signs should also be provided stating the details of the closure.

Barriers and stewards may be effective for a short-term trial or events such as Walk to School Week but signed access restrictions and camera enforcement are more likely to be successful for permanent schemes.

Before implementing a School Street, authorities should conduct a site-specific assessment of the road safety risks to all users under the proposed arrangements and put in place appropriate mitigation measures.

For example, lower levels of motorised traffic could lead some children and their parents/carers to become less vigilant when using a School Street. Interventions (such as road safety education sessions to pupils, staff and parents and carers) should be put in place before commencement to ensure users remain aware that exempt motor vehicles will still be allowed to use the road.

Authorities should follow their own established risk policies and processes when developing risk management plans for School Streets. These plans are most likely to be effective when developed in close collaboration with the school’s leadership team. 

You may decide to have stewards to help run your School Street, especially for a period immediately following implementation. These people do not have legal powers to stop traffic and should be well briefed and trained on how to safely undertake their role. There is no requirement for stewards to undertake specific training on delivering School Streets but authorities should consider providing such training opportunities. 

Active travel organisations can provide useful information and advice. Sustrans and Playing Out have developed a short film on how to steward a School Street or Play Street. Issues such as insurance, and appropriate PPE should be part of local authority risk policies and processes.

Direct, tailored, advance communication with all residents and businesses within and just outside the School Street is important so that they know what to expect and how the scheme will impact them. Authorities should consider providing materials in different formats and languages that reflect the make-up of the local community. Details of School Streets should be easily accessible online, providing information on the streets affected by the scheme.

It is also important to communicate with people who may be driving through the area. This can be done using a range of materials such as school gate banners and lamp post wraps as well as making use of various communications channels including social media and local news outlets. Developing a School Streets logo and a distinctive brand will help to build recognition and understanding. Any promotional material placed on or near streets should not include or resemble traffic signing.

Transport for Wales' active travel promotional toolkit includes a walking, wheeling and cycling to school guide which will include key messaging around School Streets.

Hackney’s School Streets toolkit provides a range of publicity materials that can be freely adapted for other authorities’ School Street schemes.

Authorities and schools may wish to hold a street party or games morning in a School Street’s first week of operation to start it off in a positive and celebratory way. This will require closing the road to motor traffic so the appropriate TRO (such as a temporary TRO for special events) barriers and traffic signs will need to be in place. Stewards should be present as well. Access will need to be maintained for emergency services vehicles and Blue Badge holders. 

It is also worth considering opportunities to co-ordinate the timing of a School Street launch with relevant community events or national observance weeks such as Cycle to School Week, Walk to School Week or Road Safety Week.

It is essential for the authority and school to agree clear roles and responsibilities for the ongoing operation of a School Street scheme, which will vary depending on how the scheme is implemented. 

Several authorities have found it helpful to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with a school, setting out responsibilities for:

• promoting the School Street scheme
• delivering complementary interventions to support sustainable school travel
• managing the permit regime for exempted vehicles
• maintaining signs and providing marshals (where applicable)
• monitoring and evaluating the impacts of the scheme
• reviewing and amending the scheme