Helping us make it safer for our children to get to school
We are working with five schools across the borough to introduce pedestrian and cycle only areas in front of the school gates at pick up and drop off times.
We call these School Streets.
The School Streets will mean temporary restrictions on motor traffic outside the schools at drop-off and pick-up times. By closing the roads for a short period outside schools, it will make it safer for children to get to and from school and reduce congestion and pollution, while freeing up parking spaces for residents living near the school.
School streets will operate from Monday 2 November on weekdays during term time only, between 8am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 4pm, at:
- Becontree Primary School
- Dorothy Barley Junior Academy
- Eastbury Community School Primary
- Grafton Primary School, and
- Manor Junior School.
Blue badge holders and emergency vehicles will be exempt. And, businesses and residents in the School Street zone can also apply for exemption here free of charge. It will not affect residents’ ability to park.
We will enforce the restrictions using CCTV cameras and will issue a Penalty Charge Notice to any vehicle attempting to drive into the street during the operating hours unless it is exempt.
Tell us what you think
The School Streets will be installed for a trial period of 18 months. We'd like your views on whether to make them permanent.
- Take a look at the detail of the School Street near you. You can see the maps here by clicking on the name of your school above.
- If you have views on School Streets, or ideas for better safety at the school gate, please post them here. You can also add pictures and vote for other people's ideas
- Let us have your questions and we will do our best to answer them
- Sign-up to be kept informed – we’ll ask you for your views more formally towards the end of this year.
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Great start to safer school streets trial run
A trial run of ‘Schools Streets’ around five Barking and Dagenham schools has started well, according to parents and teachers at Grafton Primary School.
The Council scheme – which aims to reduce traffic danger at the school gates at pick up and drop off times – was introduced to five schools in the borough on Monday 2 November.
The School Streets restrict motorised traffic on weekdays during term time only, 8am to 9.15am and between 2.45pm and 4pm, effectively creating a pedestrian and cycle zone in front of the school gates during peak periods.
Barking and Dagenham Councillors, Evelyn Carpenter and Margaret Mullane this week visited Grafton Primary School to gauge the reaction of parents and teachers.
Councillor Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, said: “We’re testing the School Streets at five schools to see if we can make it safer for children to get to and from school during peak periods. Our aim was to reduce traffic caused by non-residents’ vehicles in order to provide more space for social distancing and to reduce congestion and pollution.
“So, it was important for us to see how it was going and I’m delighted that overwhelmingly the staff and parents welcomed the idea, even many of those who used to drive.”
Councillor Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety member, agreed, and said: “Many of the parents we spoke to commented on how much calmer the school run was without all the traffic. And, local residents also told us that they liked it because it improved access to their homes and alleviated some of their parking problems.”
Mr Nicholson, Headteacher at Grafton Primary, said: “I’m delighted with the scheme because the safety of our children has always been our number one concern, and this is even more important during the current pandemic. The School Street has massively reduced congestion at the school gate so that we can all socially distance more effectively. We are really encouraged that parents are reducing the use of their cars during these peak times”.
Claire Hunt, whose children attend Grafton Primary School, said: “It used to be chaos along here – you couldn’t see anything but cars in front of the school gate. Now, it’s just a nice pleasant journey and it was easy for my girls to cross the road with their bikes without worrying that the cars are driving at them.”
The trial will last 18 months and the council plans to consult residents throughout the trial before any decision is made on whether to make the measures permanent.
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Safer School Streets trial to start after half term
Barking and Dagenham Council is to introduce ‘Schools Streets’ around five schools in the borough from Monday 2 November.
The council has been working with teachers and staff at Grafton Primary School, Dorothy Barley Junior, Manor Junior, Eastbury Community School Primary and Becontree Primary to improve safety at the school gates during the school’s pick up and drop off times.
The School Street will achieve this by temporarily closing roads around the school to motor vehicles and creating a pedestrian and cycle zone at these peak periods.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “These five schools were keen to be part of this trial to help make streets nearby safer for their pupils. By closing roads temporarily to non-residents’ vehicles we will make it safer for children to get to and from school by reducing congestion and pollution.”
Miss Leicester, Headteacher at Dorothy Barley Junior Academy, said: “The safety of our children has always been paramount and it is even more so during the current pandemic. We are very keen to reduce the congestion at the school gate so that we can all socially distance more effectively. We need to reduce the risk of car accidents and minimise the risk to our families. Therefore, we are encouraging parents and our neighbours to limit the use of their cars during these peak times”.
The School Streets will be operational from 2 November on weekdays during term time only, between 8am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 4pm.
The scheme will be enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras which will check if a vehicle has a School Street permit. If a vehicle enters a School Street during the restricted times without a permit, a penalty charge notice will automatically be issued.
Blue badge holders and emergency vehicles will be exempt. Carers, teachers and school staff, and businesses and residents within the School Streets area, will require a free permit to leave and return without a penalty. Residents’ parking will be unaffected.
The trial will last 18 months and the council will consult residents throughout the trial before any decision is made on whether to make the measures permanent.
The School Streets Programme was funded by central Government as part of the Covid-19 emergency street improvements programme.
See what parents and teachers have to say
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Barking and Dagenham Councillors, Evelyn Carpenter and Margaret Mullane this week visited Grafton Primary School to gauge the reaction of parents and teachers to the school Streets. Headteacher Mr Nicholson, and Assistant Headteacher, Miss Carroll give their reactions.
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Councillor Mullane speaks to parents and residents at Grafton Primary School to get their views
