Youngsters have celebrated being able to “breathe in the fresh air” as their school became the first in Newcastle to ban cars outside its gates.
Hotspur Primary School, in Heaton, is the site of the city’s long-awaited first School Streets scheme, set up in a bid to slash harmful emissions and make what was a congested road safer for children. The project, which began on Monday and will run for an initial 18 months, sees roads and back lanes around the school closed to traffic from 8am to 9.30am and between 2.30pm and 4pm, in a bid to get more parents to leave their car at home for the school run.
As the school marked Clean Air Day on Thursday, campaigning ‘eco warrior’ pupils said the area was previously filled with “lots of pollution” and urged families to “do the right thing” by walking, cycling, or scooting.
