Barn Street - St Mary’s Church of England Primary School - School Streets proposal

Overview

Why are these changes being proposed?

The Council is committed to making Hackney’s roads safer and healthier for everyone living in, working in and visiting the borough. These changes aim to create an environment that will encourage more walking and cycling, improve air quality and reduce road danger.

This can only be achieved by reducing the dominance of the private vehicle. Poor air quality resulting from vehicle emissions is finally being recognised for the damage it inflicts upon the health of the city with nearly 10,000 Londoners dying early every year as a result (Kings College London, 2015). Our Transport Strategy includes a number of actions that this scheme will help to achieve:

• LN3: Improving air quality – Tackles poor air quality by reducing NO2 and PM10 emissions.
• LN10: School Clean Air Zones – Aims to develop and secure funding for projects to improve air quality in and around the borough’s schools. School Streets is one such project.
• LN15: Filtered Streets – Reduces motor traffic on residential streets by the use of road closures or one-way systems to create safer walking and cycling conditions.
• LN20: School Streets – Roads are closed outside schools during certain times of the day.

The Council has piloted School Streets at eight schools in the borough. We are currently reviewing those pilot schemes. Early results show a reduction in traffic in the School Streets, more parents and children walking and cycling to school and fewer driving.

Based on the generally good results and positive feedback we have seen we are rolling out the scheme to more schools. The Mayor of Hackney has committed to delivering 17 new School Streets by 2022.

Barn Street has been selected as a proposed School Street because St Mary’s Church of England Primary School experiences road safety problems at the school gates and is in an area of poor local air quality. Children in schools that are situated on or are near busy roads may be exposed to higher levels of air pollution leading to health problems later in life.

Reducing the use of the private car for journeys to school and reducing the volume of traffic on Barn Street should:

• reduce road danger from traffic
• reduce pollution around the school gates from idling vehicles
• promote more walking, cycling and active lifestyles for pupils and parents or carers.

How will it work?

Barn Street will be made a pedestrian and cycle only zone from 45 minutes twice a day at school opening and closing times.

• Vehicles will be banned from entering the street between these times unless they have been given an exemption.
• Residents living in Barn Street will be able to register for an exemption if Barn Street is the only access to the property, or if they are a blue badge holder.
• Parents or carers can register for an exemption to drop their children off to school if they or their child are a blue badge holder.
• We’ll put up signs to inform drivers of the restrictions before the entrance to the closed street.
• Non-registered vehicles entering the street during the times of operation will be identified by camera and automatically issued a fixed penalty charge notice.

For details of the proposal please refer to the drawing below.

Have your say

Your views are important to us and will help the Council to make a decision.

A questionnaire can be accessed using the link below to give your views on the outlined proposals.

What happens next

Your feedback will help us reach a decision on whether to proceed with these proposals. The results will be available at www.hackney.gov.uk/school-streets

Should the Council agree to proceed with these proposals, residents and businesses will receive a letter to inform them about the start date for the scheme with details of how to register a vehicle or vehicles for exemption. Public notices advising the changes will be displayed in the street.

What happens next