Save our School Street - Bessemer Primary School
Save our School Street - Bessemer Primary School
The Issue
**update - NEWSFLASH!! **
F@B is delighted to announce that Bessemer Safe Street and our bollards are going to stay. The school and F@B met with Councillor McAsh and the Highways team today and they have agreed to keep things as they are. We are grateful that Southwark has listened. Thank you to EVERYONE who has joined our campaign. It really made the difference
We are campaigning to save our school street to protect the safety of our children. Please share this with your friends and family, and consider emailing your councillors about it: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-mps/your-councillors
For the last five years (since 2018), our primary school, Bessemer, has enjoyed the benefits of a 'school street' - where cars, vans, mopeds etc are restricted from driving on the road outside our school for an hour during pick up or drop off time.
It has made children feel safer and reduced the crowding during drop off and pick up. Reducing traffic also helps improve the air we all breathe.
As parents and local residents, we worked closely with school staff, local councillors and other residents to ensure it was a success. The school staff have been brilliant at supporting the scheme and putting the barriers up and down.
Southwark Council officers have now told us in writing that they intend to remove the physical barriers (collapsible bollards) by 2 January 2024. This has been done with no formal consultation of the school, local residents or parents.
While there will be CCTV cameras in operation to generate income for the council, there will be no physical protection.
Our school which has over 600 pupils is 'split site' so covers both sides of the road, Nairne Grove. Parents and children need to cross the road to collect children from each side of the road and staff also escort children from site to site while the barriers are still up.
After five years, children and adults are now used to the road closure and use the space to walk, cycle and scoot in a much safer environment. Taking this away would endanger their safety.
Transport for London and Southwark have celebrated the scheme in the past. In a case study TfL note that:
· The number of cars, vans and other motor vehicles fell by 82%
· The speed of traffic outside of the closure times fell by around half in the afternoon (from 13 mph to 6.7mph)
· The number of people cycling more than doubled compared to outside the closure times
The TfL report says that “It is likely that the use of collapsible bollards preventing access to motorised vehicles to the School Street during the closure period has contributed to the low traffic environment and comfortable use of the carriageway by people walking and on bikes.”
At the time Southwark Councillor Richard Livingstone said: “I think that school streets are a fantastic way to improve air quality and road safety around our primary schools. Not only does the timed closure of a street outside the school make that street cleaner and safer during that time, but it also incentivises active travel to get to and from school, whether that be by foot or cycle.”
A survey of 229 pupils when the school street was introduced found that 82% felt it was important to have fewer cars outside the school at drop off and pick up.
Overall across London over a quarter (27%) of car journeys in the morning are for school drop-off. Research shows that reducing this traffic this reduces nitrogen dioxide (a toxic form of air pollution that is associated with heart disease, cancer and asthma) by up to 23 per cent during the morning school drop-off.
Please share this with your friends and family, and consider emailing your councillors about it: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-mps/your-councillors
Sources:
https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/s76541/Appendix%201.pdf
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/getting-to-know-school-streets-case-studies-2022.pdf
https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/school-street-trial-goes-permanent-more-coming/
1,003
The Issue
**update - NEWSFLASH!! **
F@B is delighted to announce that Bessemer Safe Street and our bollards are going to stay. The school and F@B met with Councillor McAsh and the Highways team today and they have agreed to keep things as they are. We are grateful that Southwark has listened. Thank you to EVERYONE who has joined our campaign. It really made the difference
We are campaigning to save our school street to protect the safety of our children. Please share this with your friends and family, and consider emailing your councillors about it: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-mps/your-councillors
For the last five years (since 2018), our primary school, Bessemer, has enjoyed the benefits of a 'school street' - where cars, vans, mopeds etc are restricted from driving on the road outside our school for an hour during pick up or drop off time.
It has made children feel safer and reduced the crowding during drop off and pick up. Reducing traffic also helps improve the air we all breathe.
As parents and local residents, we worked closely with school staff, local councillors and other residents to ensure it was a success. The school staff have been brilliant at supporting the scheme and putting the barriers up and down.
Southwark Council officers have now told us in writing that they intend to remove the physical barriers (collapsible bollards) by 2 January 2024. This has been done with no formal consultation of the school, local residents or parents.
While there will be CCTV cameras in operation to generate income for the council, there will be no physical protection.
Our school which has over 600 pupils is 'split site' so covers both sides of the road, Nairne Grove. Parents and children need to cross the road to collect children from each side of the road and staff also escort children from site to site while the barriers are still up.
After five years, children and adults are now used to the road closure and use the space to walk, cycle and scoot in a much safer environment. Taking this away would endanger their safety.
Transport for London and Southwark have celebrated the scheme in the past. In a case study TfL note that:
· The number of cars, vans and other motor vehicles fell by 82%
· The speed of traffic outside of the closure times fell by around half in the afternoon (from 13 mph to 6.7mph)
· The number of people cycling more than doubled compared to outside the closure times
The TfL report says that “It is likely that the use of collapsible bollards preventing access to motorised vehicles to the School Street during the closure period has contributed to the low traffic environment and comfortable use of the carriageway by people walking and on bikes.”
At the time Southwark Councillor Richard Livingstone said: “I think that school streets are a fantastic way to improve air quality and road safety around our primary schools. Not only does the timed closure of a street outside the school make that street cleaner and safer during that time, but it also incentivises active travel to get to and from school, whether that be by foot or cycle.”
A survey of 229 pupils when the school street was introduced found that 82% felt it was important to have fewer cars outside the school at drop off and pick up.
Overall across London over a quarter (27%) of car journeys in the morning are for school drop-off. Research shows that reducing this traffic this reduces nitrogen dioxide (a toxic form of air pollution that is associated with heart disease, cancer and asthma) by up to 23 per cent during the morning school drop-off.
Please share this with your friends and family, and consider emailing your councillors about it: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-mps/your-councillors
Sources:
https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/s76541/Appendix%201.pdf
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/getting-to-know-school-streets-case-studies-2022.pdf
https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/school-street-trial-goes-permanent-more-coming/
1,003
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 21 November 2023