Eight Healthy School Streets have been made permanent after their experimental status ended on 22 July 2024.
The Healthy School Streets programme aims to reduce traffic volumes, increase road safety and improve air quality outside schools by encouraging parents and their children to travel to school more sustainably, such as by walking, cycling and using public transport instead of travelling by car.
The council has been trialling nine new school streets since 23 January 2023 as part of group three of the Healthy School Streets programme.
The eight schools that will have their school streets implemented permanently are:
- The Crescent Primary School and The BRIT School
- South Norwood Primary School
- St Cyprians Greek Orthodox Primary Academy
- Howard Primary School
- Oasis Academy Shirley Park
- Good Shepherd Catholic Primary & Nursery School
- Kenley Primary School
- Gonville Academy
One school which was part of the group three tranche, Park Hill Junior and Infants School, will no longer be a school street as of 23 July and all enforcement will be stopped. This decision was made based on feedback received from the local community and the school who were concerned about the traffic impacts.
These decisions follow six months of consultation with local residents, the school community and other road users, held when the school streets were first introduced. Feedback received as well as data from traffic and air quality surveys have all been used by the council to prepare recommendations for the future of the schemes.
The Healthy School Streets operate Monday – Friday 8am – 9:30am and 2pm – 4pm during term time only and are enforced by ANPR CCTV cameras at the entrance to the zones.
Residents living within the zones will be eligible to apply for exemption permits, so that they can drive through the restricted zone without receiving a Penalty Charge Notice. Staff members and other people linked to the school will also be able apply for an exemption permit.
Taxis and private hire vehicles picking up or dropping off residents for medical appointments who live within a school street are permitted to enter the restricted zone, but the residents will need to apply for a temporary resident exemption permit before 23:59 that day.
“Thank you to all those who took part in the consultation on these Healthy School Streets.
“Feedback has helped us to develop the schemes so that they are right for each area and has led to us removing the Park Hill scheme after residents told us it wasn’t working.
“It’s important that we do what we can to make the roads around our schools as safe and healthy as possible. These schemes promote active travel, reduce carbon emissions around schools and help to make those school runs a bit easier for our Croydon families.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
