Knowsley will not be bringing in ‘school streets’ where cars are not allowed outside schools after officers said there was little evidence they were effective.
School streets are car free zones in the area of a school and have been brought in in recent months in other Merseyside areas, including several schools in Wirral.
In a council report produced ahead of a Knowsley Council overview and scrutiny committee meeting held last night, officers said that while such initiatives are often promoted as successful there is “little evidence to suggest they are long term practical solutions.”
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The report states: “More recently there have been extensive trials to try and keep the entire zone in front of schools traffic free during school drop off and pick-up times.
“Such measures require physical manning of temporary road closures, often via volunteer resources (Police do not have the capacity to staff these).
“On launch of such initiatives, they are generally promoted as a success, however there is little evidence to suggest they are long term practical solutions, with influences such as weather and lighting conditions, plus the obvious displacement of parking or driving habits not well reported.
“Whilst there have been opportunities for the introduction of such schemes in Knowsley, commonly known as school streets, we are
waiting for the full appraisal of such schemes elsewhere, so that if appropriate any schemes that are implemented are done so benefiting from emerging best practice.”
Officers said the council’s existing strategy including a “mix of measures through education, enforcement, and engineering, works
well in most locations” and has been “largely successful.”
The report states that accident rates near schools in the borough are low and that there are “only one or two areas being highlighted with ongoing concerns, mostly due to local community (often including parents and teachers) concerns regarding parking and general amenity.”
Discussing the report at a meeting of the regeneration and skills committee held at Huyton municipal building last night, March 9, officers said they were concerned about displacement of cars into other streets that could cause “tension.”
Councillor Steve Smith questioned officers about one of the measures currently in place to encourage pupils to ‘walk one day’ per week to school.
Cllr Smith asked: “Could that not be expanded to ‘walk a week’ for example?”
Officers said that with increasing levels of funding towards sustainable travel from central government and the city region, looking at ways to increase travel uptake was very much on the council’s radar.
Cllr Crispin Evans also questioned the council’s approach to miles per hour zones, saying that research showed the benefit of 20 miles per hour zones from both a safety and climate perspective.
Referring to zones in his own ward of St Gabriel’s, with variable speed limits around primary schools, Cllr Evans asked: “In parts of Knowsley have we got a sort of not consistent approach to how we support the schools?”
Responding, head of highways and capital delivery Jon Robinson said ” I would suggest it’s fair and equitable what we do. What we do is mainly data led.
“We’d love to throw every single school out there as a 20 miles per hour zone and engineer it to death to improve things.
“Generally, it’s a data led approach.”
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