School Streets

Just this afternoon I’ve had a rather alarming email from Commonplace. They are starting - sans promised discussions as per.
Such are promises.

https://lewishamschoolstreets.commonplace.is/overview

School Streets

This week we launched the first phase of our school streets programme at Adamsrill, Deptford Green, Kelvin Grove and Prendergast Ladywell Schools. School Streets have been designed to ensure that social distancing can be maintained at the school gate, and parents or carers are able to wait for their children in a calm and safe environment that has clean air, without having to worry about traffic or idling vehicles. It also aims to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle to school, and hopes to encourage children and adults to switch to more sustainable forms of travel.

We’ll be bringing School Streets to several other Schools in the coming weeks. Find out more information here.

So the suggestion is: starting in mid September (which I would say is between tomorrow and 11 days time) they will fine people for driving down certain roads during two 1 hour long slots. They will be signposted by and perhaps collapsible barriers. Residents may or may not be allowed to exit their properties. Offenders will be fined
The only suggestion as to the signage is a green sign - which has no legal value.
Luckily I don’t live near a school (or even have a car )

Hi - School Streets are brilliant for making roads around schools safer at drop off and pick up times. These closures will only be 2 or 3 hours a day on weekdays in term time only, and they really really make a difference to kids. There’s loads of info here (https://www.mumsforlungs.org/schoolstreets) if you’d like to learn more - these schemes have kids’ interests at heart and there’s going to be around 450 across London soon - amazing stuff. They also don’t stop residents accessing their properties - and there are exemptions for blue badge holders too.

Hi @JaneyD not sure you read the details

Blue badge holders don’t get exemptions here - only residential blue badge holders (question mark on parents of students). Staff will not be allowed to exit (not sure the legality of that), but people parked in the zone before it start will (though they will probably get a fine). Residents don’t automatically get exempted.

But the real important bit - if there is a physical barrier noone is allowed past except emergency services.
I’m not opposed to this - but it is a typical Lewisham shit storm - announced a couple of days before it happens for 18 month trial and it will be extended next month to more areas (clearly with zero notice)

And making the same mistakes again. For example, I noticed this morning at 0830 and 0900 that Google Maps did not show the Adamsrill Road closure. But then again perhaps Maps doesn’t have the ability to know about this type of timed event which I presume is also dependent on the school timetable.

I’m pretty sure Google does factor in timed events - there are a lot of roads that cease to be toll roads at certain times. What is really happening is Lewisham haven’t told anyone (and/or google hasn’t updated)

Google maps didn’t tell me Vauxhall Bridge was closed to cars - it added a lot of time to my journey a few weeks ago and it still tried to take us over there one week later!

I am hugely in favour of these and am disappointed these were not all in place for the start of the school year. As john says they do need to be implemented appropriately, but that will involve some disruption to local residents and businesses, but I think it is something that has to be done. It is incredibly hard for everyone to social distance on the pavement (impossible) even with staggered starts and this is a prime example of what the council should have been focusing on when it talked about creating extra pedestrian space for Covid reasons.

Hi @LeoGibbons

Thanks for getting involved in the conversation here.

I have a question (perhaps answered elsewhere in which case apologies).

Now that schools are back, most children in primary, and secondary are in a small number of known locations, arguably during some of the heaviest traffic times. Very few of them will be in the very dispersed residential locations. We know that pollution around young people is bad and can have detrimental long-term effects on them.

What is the council doing specifically to divert traffic and pollution from around schools? Is their an actual plan with this specific agenda or simply a general ‘reduce cars on the road policy’.

Hi Oakr,

We will be rolling our ‘School Streets’ at specific schools across the borough in the coming weeks. Kelvin Grove is due to become one, and I believe Eliot Bank is being assessed as well. Unfortunately, Fairlawn was not deemed suitable as it sits on a bus route but @SophieDavis has been working with the highways team to try and come up with ideas to create more space around the school.

Some on this forum know I had been campaigning for School Streets to be trialled in Lewisham for the past 18 months or so.

https://lewishamschoolstreets.commonplace.is/overview

You promised us nothing would happen with Thorpewood Avenue until there had been a thorough consultation of residents in neighbouring roads. Now Kelvin Grove too.

What’s happened to the residents’ consultation? As a resident on upper Kirkdale - caught midway between the two schools - I think I have a right to be consulted on your intentions for my street. You promised that nothing would happen without a proper consultation.

Just a reminder there’s a whole School Streets thread. I may move a couple of these over… including @oakr and @LeoGibbons posts.

Edit: done

I think it is important that any School Streets initiative on Thorpewood Avenue takes into account the children going to Holy Trinity who have very little outside space to social distance on entry. I think any move to favour just Eliot Bank would feed into the existing narrative that Lewisham traffic initiatives are for richer labour supporters rather than for the whole community.

I am in favour of school streets and welcome the idea of a safer less polluted environment for school kids.

Haha. The way we find out about Lewisham plans is the day after they start work!

If Thorpewood Avenue is to be blocked at both ends for Elliott Bank and Holy Trinity will they block Derby Hill Crescent too or will residents, workmen, taxis, and deliveries be able to get in/out that way? Also, what will be done to stop parents clogging up Dartmouth Road?

I think blocking road access to Eliot Bank can only make it worse for road safety at Holy Trinity and for those trying to cross or use the roadway on upper Kirkdale and Dartmouth Road.

It’s not that long ago that there was a chain on here about a persistent pavement parker at Holy Trinity. She routinely parked her hugely heavy wannabe-Chelsea tractor on the Dartmouth Road pavement. I think closing Thorpewood could encourage that sort of “it’s all about me” parking.

There is little or no social distancing on upper Kirkdale, where we have people heading to and from Eliot Bank in one direction crossing with those heading for Kelvin Grove in the opposite direction and cars from both sets of parents parking on the roadway. Apart from one lovely lollipop lady at Kelvin Grove, there are no safe crossing points. And of course lollipop ladies and gents aren’t allowed to hold up traffic for adults to cross, unless that adult is accompanied by a child., so there’s no help for vulnerable adults.

Since the 20mph regime, it’s become a much more dangerous road as its hard to judge the speed of oncoming traffic and how they’re going to react to the huge humps and bumps that have been installed across the carriageway. If the Council cared about the safety of all children they would abandon the school street for the few concept in favour of safe and controlled crossing points for the many.