A “school streets” scheme aimed at keeping children safe on the roads near their primary appears to have collapsed, according to a parent.
Mark Cooper photographed several people dropping off children on the zigzags outside Balfour Primary School, in Balfour Road, Brighton.
The school is one of at least 15 where Brighton and Hove City Council has used “experimental traffic orders” to bring in restrictions at the start and end of the school day.
The aim is to encourage more children to walk or cycle to school and reduce the number of cars on the school run.
The Balfour scheme started in July last year for an initial 18 months and is meant to close Balfour Road between Ditchling Road and Loder Road.
But it has not proved easy to find enough volunteers to operate the barriers used to enforce the scheme from 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm in term time.
Mr Cooper said: “Children are in daily danger because the Balfour school street scheme has sadly failed (as it) required volunteers to enforce it.
“(I) appreciate the failure should help the council get enforcement powers but hoping to see wardens or even police while we wait. Cars three abreast at the school crossing is typical, unfortunately.”
The council’s cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm Trevor Muten said: “School streets are an important part of our efforts to improve air quality and reduce traffic near schools.
“Our trial schemes have benefited from fantastic volunteer support. Where we do not always have sufficient volunteers, it is not possible to use temporary barriers as part of the experimental schemes.
“This is the case at Balfour, where the school street is currently limited to signs informing road users of the restrictions in place at school drop off and pick up times.”
Councillor Muten added: “Recent guidance from the Department for Transport says CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras are the most effective way to enforce restrictions.
“But this is not something the council currently has powers to do. For these schemes to be successful, therefore, we need the entire community to support our efforts.
“That means not only the volunteers but also parents and residents following the signs and thinking seriously about the impact on others of driving up to the school gate or along the road during these busy times.
“The experimental order is coming to an end and we will look at the data and feedback from residents before deciding our next steps.”
Green councillor Steve Davis, the leader of the opposition, said that the Balfour site was complicated because Varndean School is at the other end of the road.
Both he and fellow Green councillor Kerry Pickett have met the heads of the two schools to try to encourage more volunteers – but without success.
Councillor Davis has written to Councillor Muten asking for the formal restrictions to be kept in place until the government gives councils the power to enforce moving traffic violations.
The council started the school streets project at the request of Westdene Primary School parents in November 2019. It now covers at least 15 schools.
Adults who choose to ignore the restrictions and drive into the SchoolStreet are knowingly reducing the safety of children. Shameful.
Another failed scheme brought to you by cllr Davis and the Greens.
Still – not as bad as Beryl Bikes!
All these green voting yummy mummies in their SUV’s. 🤣🤣🤣
Same at Westdene School. No barriers to enforce and the signs are overgrown so no one can see the restrictions even if they were inclined to adhere to them. What a waste of money, not an insignificant environmental cost, and additional inconvenience/mileage for locals due to a 24/7 one way system BHCC imposed at the same time which is also often missed/ignored by drivers.
Perhaps we need more smaller schools to disperse the problem ?
Dear Cllr Davis.. do you really expect to rely on people volunteering? That’s not a very good business model. You clearly inhabit a parallel universe
The volunteering aspect is the weakness of this scheme. It needs a paid role realistically, alongside the relevant legislation to enforce this.
Bring back the Lolly Pop Ladies! With enabling enhanced supervision!!! Plus back door payments
Agreed — the “School Streets” were introduced by Councillor Steve Davis as yet another ideological scheme without including the enforcement and staffing it obviously required.
Agree, with some of the comments re: volunteering. Something so crucial shouldn’t be left to unpaid volunteers as it’s extremely challenging to keep volunteers when the weather is horrendous, if there’s no real (paid) coordinator etc.
Why don’t the relevant local Cllrs put their time where their mouth is and volunteer to coordinate these schemes; that would show commitment.
So crucial you need to put barriers on roads?
However did we all survive and get through school without our roads being closed for so many years?
How about education on using the roads, Idk, something like ‘Stop, Look, and Listen’? Instead of letting wee little Tarquin run carefree and be a parent, taking responsibility for your own child.
Less nanny-ing and more personal responsibility is needed, stop treating adults as kids.
I’d argue that mature fully functioning adults can obey simple instructions, such as road restrictions around school times.
It is evident they cannot, so continuing “to be treated like kids” seems perfectly reasonable to me.
So have the paid, council employed, parking staff on view then. They will be a visual deterrent and be able to issue PCNs if need be. Why do the roads have to be closed at all? If people want a decent service then it should be paid for not left on the hope that there will be enough volunteers.
Balfour parents want everyone else to stop driving and to volunteer.
Balfour parents won’t stop driving and won’t volunteer.
Balfour parents expect the council to sort it out.
This exactly. Any idea that payment is required and not volunteers is tidiculous as well. Other schemes in the city work fine.
I am guilty of driving my kids to school once or twice a week. Days which coincide with we, the parents, needing to be at work at a specific time.
With no breakfast clubs available, two children at different schools, and two working parents, with a very short space of time to get from school to the office, we have limited choices otherwise.
I’m sorry _ you don’t conform to the Green Dream.
You will have to be terminated
Absolutely nothing wrong with driving to school. The practicalities are unassailable. Just don’t park in the restricted area.