Wirral's independent local news website
Two more schools – one in Wallasey and another in Bromborough – will be joining the School Streets scheme next month to help improve safety and air quality around the school gates.
A School Street is a stretch of road outside a school that is temporarily closed to traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. Some vehicles are exempt to the restrictions, but the aim of the project is to reduce the build-up of traffic outside the school gates and create a predominantly car-free zone to improve safety and air quality by encouraging active travel, walking, scooting or cycling.
The schemes are implemented under Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) and will be trialled for up to 18 months.
St George’s Primary School in Wallasey – the lower school site on St Georges Road – will start its scheme on 17 October, with Raeburn Primary in Bromborough following on 31 October.
Once the schemes have started, there will be an opportunity for families and residents to share their opinion on how it is working through an online questionnaire.
The two schools will join three others in Wirral who are already operating School Street schemes – Christ Church CE Primary, Birkenhead, Liscard Primary, and Greenleas Primary, Wallasey.
All feedback provided will help the council to decide if the schemes should be made permanent and determine if the project will achieve the goals of creating a calmer environment, improving safety, reducing traffic build-up and improving air quality for everyone.
Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee at Wirral Council, said, “Travelling in an active way, whether that be cycling or walking, is something that more and more people are trying to do – and this extends to the school run.
“Many schools, and therefore children, around the borough participate in walking and cycling schemes and it is so important that as more people do this, that they feel safe and confident whilst doing so.
“The School Streets scheme not only hopes to achieve the goal of making children and their families feel safer when travelling to school on foot or on two wheels but it also aims to minimise pollution and create a better environment for those going to the school and those that live around it.”
The schemes are being funded as part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Transport Plan Capital Programme and Department for Transport Active Travel Fund Tranche 2.
Visit here for more details: https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/hub-page/school-streets
Main image: GOOGLE
Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news