School Streets start today

Definitely a day to be a bit more observant if you are driving - the satnavs don’t know it and the signage can be missed if you aren’t expecting it!

From the link:

I’m still surprised that Dalmain is not on the list, as the side road is effectively a cul de sac, causes issues for residents and no need to drive down that road to drop kids off even if you are driving.

Fingers crossed most of the others serve their intended purpose, and improvements are made for those that don’t work. I’m generally in favour but like all good intended things, they have to be implemented well to work.

That does seem like an odd omission, especially given that St William of York has a school street a stone’s throw away.

Does anyone know if we can notify them somehow?

You can report road closures for “roadworks / crash / local events / nature / not sure” on Google maps, but they don’t look to have a case that covers these recurring timed closures rather than specific events.

I’d hope this is something that the Council has looked into and are already on top of though, given they’ve had ample experience and preparation from the LTN roll outs and such.

Bit disingenuous to put Kelvin Grove on that list. I can’t see any changes there (unless you count a huge increase in crawling traffic, with resultant extra pollution). Kelvin Grove itself has been a gated street for years.

Kirkdale traffic was at a standstill this morning. There was been no consultation of nearby residents, unless you count Commonplace which many residents will be unaware of.

Schools need to enforcement catchment areas, then there would be no excuse for any able bodied person to drive.

Perhaps, perhaps not, but the aims of the school streets would not necessarily be fulfilled.

But what are the aims of school streets? If it’s about pollution, then why are zero-emission vehicles not allowed, thus helping to create pressure for people and fleets to switch to electric (which if we admit that some uses of motor vehicles are presently unavoidable, is unfortunately the best we can probably do right now). If school streets are to create a safe-space for children and parents to cycle or walk, I’m afraid I think many of them fail - since exempt residents may still drive on the road and there are often no physical barriers to prevent vehicles wrongly entering, the road is still very much owned by the motor cars.

Kilmorie Road school street also scores an own goal by encompassing a ZipCar parking spot in the school street; that car will either have to be made exempt and so can drive down the road, or cannot be returned to the parking spot when the restrictions are in operation. The ZipCar spot should be moved outside the school street in either case. It would also be nice if Kilmorie Road could be painted with ‘school street’ at the Woolstone end, like it’s been painted ‘no entry’ at Vancouver Road as the current entry signage is easily missed.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the school streets are generally a good thing, but at present they are only a step in the right direction and there’s still more improvements to be had with the application of a bit more common sense and study.

I could probably have posted this in my previous message.

The aim of the scheme is to:

• tackle congestion
• improve air quality at the school gates
• make it easier and safer to walk and cycle to school
• create a friendlier and calmer environment for everyone.

ref: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/roads-and-transport/closing-roads-to-traffic-at-school-drop-off-and-pick-up-time-school-streets

Implementation and impact it’s going school to school, but I am very glad the road I drop off at is restricted at the moment as, due to covid, parents and children need to wait on the other side of the road until they are called across. It’s a better system for social distancing, but having so many children hanging around on both sides of the street does make me nervous. My preference would be physical barriers during opening/closing time, but I’m not going to complain about what has been done.

It was something of a rhetorical question, see my comments about how I think many of the current implementations fall short of those aims, though not completely in each case, but things could be improved.

This would also be my preference too. However, given roads like Kilmorie are literally lined on both sides with residents’ parked cars, blocking the road could be problematic and unfair for those that live there. Making the entry clearer by painting ‘school street’ on the road may be a half-way house, and also something to feel a little pride in perhaps?

Please consider my comments constructive criticism with a view to further progress.

Looks like further improvement today with additional signage advertising the school streets going up:

IMG_20210422_1655412448×3264 2.32 MB

IMG_20210422_170145__013000×4000 5.38 MB

I still think ‘School Street’ in big white letters on the entrance to the roads would be a good touch though.

Frustrated to say I haven’t noticed much impact on traffic on Elsinore. Also haven’t been able to find the signposted endorsement cameras.