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School Streets

A School Street is when the roads immediately surrounding a school are closed to motor traffic. They operate Monday to Friday in term time, during set times at drop-off and pick-up. School Streets stay open to pedestrians, cyclists, and residents of the street who have an exemption.

Reasons to start a School Street

Our children's health and mental wellbeing is of the highest importance. That's why the council is committed to tackling our climate emergency and the escalating levels of pollution at peak times on our road network. Childhood obesity in the borough is also one of the highest in London.

There are many benefits of School Streets:

  • Improved air quality - reduced traffic volumes leading to reductions in local emissions
  • Improved road safety - reduced risk of potential conflict between road traffic and pupils
  • Increased physical activity - making the school gate cleaner and safer will encourage more active travel to school

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COVID-19 advice

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in big changes to travel patterns in London and the rest of the country. As children and young people return to early years, school and further education settings, government guidance remains in place on social distancing. This recommends people remain at least two metres apart from those outside their household, where possible.

Advice on school travel is that parents/carers, children and young people should be encouraged to walk or cycle where possible, and only drive if essential and avoid public transport.

School Street locations

We’re introducing twelve new School Streets across Enfield to enable students to social distance at the school gate, and encourage walking and cycling on the way to school. This scheme is funded by the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel Fund - a fund that responds to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

We have partnered with the following schools to introduce a School Street for the start of the school year in September 2020:

  • Bush Hill Park Primary on Main Avenue
  • Chase Side Primary on Trinity Street
  • De Bohun Primary on Green Road
  • George Spicer Primary on Sketty Road
  • Hazelbury Primary on Westerham Avenue
  • Keys Meadow Primary on Tysoe Avenue
  • Kingfisher Hall Primary Academy on The Ride
  • Lavender Primary on Lavender Road
  • Meridian Angel Primary on Ladysmith Road
  • Raynham Primary on Raynham Avenue
  • St Paul's Primary on Ringwood Way
  • Worcesters Primary on Goat Lane

As part of the trial, we will open a consultation so that interested stakeholders can provide their feedback on how they think the School Street is working in practice. This feedback will help inform a future decision on whether to then finish the trial or look to make the scheme permanent. The consultation will be hosted on the Let’s Talk Enfield site.

The legal stuff – how School Streets are enforced

To enforce the scheme, a traffic order will close certain streets or parts of streets to all motor vehicles (unless exempt) at certain times of the day. This will introduce a pedestrian and cycle zone marked by barriers that will be operated by the school and volunteers. The road closures and pedestrian and cycle zone can operate between 8:15am and 9:15am, and again between 2:45pm and 3:45pm on Mondays to Fridays. However, in practice it is anticipated that the zone will only operate during these hours in school term-time when the traffic signs are showing, and the barriers are in place.

The traffic order will:

  • enable safe and effective social distancing measures for the staged reopening of primary schools within the borough, following the relaxation of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions
  • create a more pleasant environment that feels safer in the immediate school area
  • discourage travelling to school by car in cases where other means of travel are available
  • encourage walking, scooting and cycling to school, and so achieving positive health outcomes for the school community

The traffic order is being introduced on an experimental basis, so that effects on the roads and surrounding area can be measured and changed where necessary. The council will be considering whether the provisions of the order should be continued indefinitely, by an order made under section 6 and 124 and part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

View the School Streets traffic orders in 2020 (PDF).

Identifying a School Street

You will see the pedestrian and cycling zone sign on both sides of the road, at the start and finish of each zone.

Warning signs will be placed before restrictions go live, to notify drivers when enforcement will begin.

Non-registered vehicles entering or leaving the street during the times of operation could be identified by camera or enforcement officers and issued a penalty charge notice.

Applying for an exemption

You are only allowed to enter or leave the zone if you live within the closure. Residents who are eligible for an exemption have been notified and can apply on our permits page.

If you have special travel requirements for a pupil attending a school, contact us by emailing healthystreets@enfield.gov.uk.

Here you can download a graphic showing a map, restriction times and other details for each School Street.