Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that national guidance on traffic flow and speed does not inhibit local authorities from installing zebra crossings outside primary schools.

The Department does not set mandatory criteria for the installation of zebra crossings. Local authorities are best placed to decide whether a zebra crossing is appropriate, including outside primary schools, taking into account local traffic conditions, vehicle speeds and patterns of pedestrian movement.

The Department provides national good practice guidance in Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual, which includes advice on the assessment and design of pedestrian crossings. This is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual

Chapter 6 is guidance and it is for authorities to consider how to apply it to their own roads.