Eleven Edinburgh schools are getting a great Christmas present, with cars to be banned in adjacent streets at opening and closing times. Another 20 schools wrote to Santa, but sadly missed out this year…
Thanks to Edinburgh’s Local Transport Strategy [LTS] several big initiatives are underway to make Edinburgh a safer and more pleasant city for all. Results of the citywide 20mph consultation are expected soon, and the Council has now just announced 11 schools for its experimental School Streets program.
Streets at or near entrances to the schools will become Pedestrian and Cycle Zones in which motor traffic will be banned at school opening and closing times. Anyone caught driving illegally will face points on their license, plus a fine, enforced by Police Scotland.
The LTS had promised trials at up to 5 schools, but so great was the enthusiasm, with 31 schools applying, that the experiment has been more than doubled, to 11 schools.
The School Streets programme aims to…
- Increase walking, cycling and active lifestyles for pupils and parents/carers
- Reduce traffic speed, congestion and pollution around the school gates
- Respond to demand from parents and residents (and presumably children!) for safer conditions outside schools
The Council is now consulting on the details of the schemes – the exact roads to be covered, the times when the ban will apply, and so on – which can vary from school to school. The suggestion is that the pedestrian/cycle zones will operate for 30 or 45 minutes before opening and after closing – although we note that East Lothian Council, which pioneered School Streets in Lothian, has 1-hour closures at its Haddington schools.
The schools and proposed road closures are…
There’s also a FAQ about the road closures…
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Read the consultation information
- Complete the online survey (especially if you use or live near any of the affected schools)
- Attend any of the drop-in consultation sessions [below] which affect or interest you..
January 2015
8th – Clermiston Primary School, 3-6pm
13th – Buckstone Primary School, 3-7pm
14th – Duddingston Primary School, 3-6pm
15th – Sciennes Primary School, 3.30-7pm
20th – Abbeyhill Primary School, 3-6pm
21st – Cramond Primary School, 3-6.30pm
27th – St Peter’s RC Primary School, 4-6.30pm
28th – Towerbank Primary School, 3-6pm
February 2015
3rd – Bonaly Primary School, 4.30-7pm
4th – St John’s RC Primary School, 3-6pm
25th – Colinton Primary School, 3-6.30pm
- Send comments or queries to Mark Symonds & Lorna Henderson Road Safety 0131 469 3817/3786 schoolstreets@edinburgh.gov.uk
- If you like the plans, tell your councillors – it will encourage them to do more