Road Traffic Control: Schools

(asked on 17th November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will help promote school street schemes which keep traffic away from schools at drop off and pick up times to reduce air pollution as a health issue for children.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 25th November 2021

The Prime Minister's Cycling and Walking Plan (Gear Change) was published in July 2020 and included a range of commitments to boost the amount of walking and cycling to school. Hundreds of School Streets have been delivered. These have led to local improvements in air quality and improved the safety of pupils, leading to significant rises in the number of children cycling and walking to school.

£338 million has been made available this year through active travel funding. This will enable local authorities to deliver new safe cycling and walking routes in their areas, which could include the delivery of School Streets.

Local authorities have a range of powers to take action to reduce pollution from road vehicles, such as introduce 20mph zones and enforcing anti-idling laws. Local authorities in England can install School Streets restricting vehicle access around schools using standard traffic signing.

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