Have you ever gone past a school at dropping off time and marvelled at the bad parking and driving? Then this idea from the council’s Transport Committee would seem an eminently sensible one. They propose to try out school streets where not only will parking be banned, but all traffic at certain times of the day.
A public consultation is now live as part of the new pilot school streets initiative for the capital.
A total of 31 schools expressed an interest in taking part in the pilot, which is designed to improve the environment around schools and encourage safer and healthier ways for pupils to travel to and from school.
The Local Transport Strategy 2014-19 contains a commitment to pilot school streets at up to five schools.
However, given the volume of interest from schools across the city, a list of ten pilot schemes covering 11 schools was drawn up and agreed by councillors in October.
These locations have been experiencing ongoing road safety issues caused by too many drivers bringing their vehicles too close to the school gates.
The pilot schemes will prohibit traffic on streets outside or around school entrances at specific times of day.
The benefits of implementing school streets are:
• Increase in walking and cycling and active lifestyles for pupils and parents/carers
• Reduction in traffic speed, congestion and pollution around the school gates
• Responding to demand from parents and residents
Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “There’s a huge appetite out there for this initiative and our next task is to finalise the details of how the schemes might work. We’re looking for as much feedback as possible from people in each of the 11 school communities, including local residents. Please have your say in our online consultation or pop along to one of the many drop-in sessions we’ve got planned early in the New Year.”
An online consultation went live earlier this week and will run until Friday 27 February 2015.
In addition, a series of drop-in information events will be held in each of the school communities during January and February 2015.
School Streets Drop-in Sessions Diary
January 2015
8th – Clermiston Primary School, 3-6pm
13th – Buckstone Primary School, 3-7pm
14th – Duddingston Primary School, 3-6pm
15th – Sciennes Primary School, 3.30-7pm
20th – Abbeyhill Primary School, 3-6pm
21st – Cramond Primary School, 3-6.30pm
27th – St Peter’s RC Primary School, 4-6.30pm
28th – Towerbank Primary School, 3-6pm
February 2015
3rd – Bonaly Primary School, 4.30-7pm
4th – St John’s RC Primary School, 3-6pm
25th – Colinton Primary School, 3-6.30pm
Photo of Towerbank Primary School from their website here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
