School Streets

Our vision is to create a cleaner, greener Kingston and our streets play a major role in this plan. We want everyone to feel our streets are spaces where they can breathe clean air, travel around safely and feel connected to the local community. One way we can achieve this is by creating School Streets, which prioritise pedestrians and cyclists on roads outside schools at school start and finish times. This supports active travel by making it safer and easier for children and their families to walk, cycle or scoot, while also reducing local traffic congestion, poor parking and engine idling, which improves air quality.

How it works

The street outside the school temporarily becomes a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone for one to two hours during the start and end of the school day. Vehicles are not permitted to enter the School Street between these times unless they have been granted an exemption. Find out about accessing a school street and registering for an exemption.

We use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor the schemes and so residents within the schemes will need to register their vehicles with us. 

We work with schools to ensure that they are doing as much as they can to encourage sustainable travel to and from school through school travel planning.

School Streets in Kingston

Each school street scheme is trialled through Experimental Traffic Management Orders (ETMO) which allows councils to run consultation alongside the trial periods before they are made permanent or removed. The school street schemes are not feasible for every school location and so, it is important to note that these schemes are initially run as trials.

Below you will find some insight into the positive impact the scheme is having to Kingston School Streets Schools- 

Christ Church CofE
The School Street scheme started at Christ Church CofE School on 1 November 2021 through an Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO) covering parts of Pine Gardens around the entrance to the school.
Over the first year of the scheme the school reported an increase in active travel - walking, scooting or cycling -  by pupils throughout the school and this has increased with each year.
Christ Church CofE has been working hard to support sustainable travel and ‘park & stride’ alternatives and has been awarded a 'Bronze' level TfL Travel for Life accreditation for its travel plan and is actively working to further develop their travel planning. 

Castle Hill Primary School
The School Street scheme started at Castle Hill on 7 November 2022 in direct response to issues raised by local residents and councillors. Timed restrictions on driving into Buckland Road are enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Castle Hill and the local residents have seen a substantial improvement to road safety and the school is continuing to work with the Sustainable Transport team to support their students to travel actively and help improve the air quality around the school.

Latchmere Primary School
Latchmere School is in close proximity to St Agatha's Catholic Primary and together the schools have been working with Kingston Council to improve air quality, reduce idling vehicles and integrate active travel through educational activities. Following a Healthy Streets Study the council introduced a school street here using an Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO). Feedback and data was collected and the School Street was made permanent on the 17 of October 2022.
The school is currently working towards its first TfL Travel for Life accreditation for its travel plan.

St Agatha's Catholic Primary School
A School Street was introduced around St Agatha’s and Latchmere schools in April 2021 to address issues reported by residents within this area in relation to congestion and poor parking around the school, vehicle idling and issues with road safety. St Agatha’s have been working with the council’s Sustainable Transport team to develop their travel plan and have since seen a positive impact with parents/carers opting for active travel methods and leaving their vehicles at home. Along with Latchmere School they are also aiming to achieve their first TfL travel for life accreditation for their school travel plan.

St John's Primary School
St John's Primary School Street covers Portland Road. Currently the school’s travel plan is accredited ‘Gold’ by TfL’s Travel for Life programme and the school is continuing to support its students to travel actively, responsibly and safely.
With the support from the school and the introduction of the Schools Street on the 1 November 2021 there has been a significant increase in active travel and a corresponding decrease in motorised transport each academic year. St John’s staff and pupils continue to work with local residents and parents/carers to reduce poor parking and congestion in the area to provide a safer environment for students to walk, wheel, cycle or scoot. 

Alexandra Primary School 
The School Street scheme covers the full length of Princes Road, continuing on Arthur Road & Borough Road.
Since the implementation of the School Street there are positive signs of increased active travel and a reduction in private vehicle use. Alexandra Primary School holds a ‘Silver’ level accreditation for its school travel plan from TfL’s Travel for Life programme for their continued positive shift to more sustainable transport.
The school has also had year on year success with pupils completing ‘Bikeability’ cycle training & receiving ‘Scoot to School’ incentives and they are currently working with Kingston Council to increase their bike & scooter parking facilities.

St Paul's CofE Primary School
After a review of the high levels of congestion in the area it was agreed to make this School Street permanent on 14 March 2022. This scheme covers the full length of Alexandra Road, plus Rosewood Court and Cherrywood Close.
St Paul’s CofE School has provided continued support to the success of the scheme and has seen the positive impact it has had to road safety and reducing traffic congestion in the area. The school is continuing their active travel plan development and it aims to achieve its first TfL Travel for Life accreditation this academic year.

Lovelace Primary School
After a successful implementation of a School Street on Mansfield Road, an expansion was added to the Devon Way side of the school covering Devon Way, Beverley Close, Newlands Way and part of Stormont Way was made permanent on 1 October 2024. Since the introduction of the scheme, the school has reported an increase in active travel and recent traffic data indicates the expansion has helped provide a safer environment for children and their families to walk, cycle and scooter.

St Philip's School
St Philip's is an academy special converter school and one of Kingston's newest trial School Streets. The Experimental Traffic Management Order started on 4 September 2023 and covers Harrow Close and Chessington Hall Gardens. St Philip’s School has been in full support of the scheme and has been working with officers in the council’s Sustainable Transport team to implement measures to protect the children and members of the local community. The school has reported significant improvements in pupils’ levels of active travel in the scheme’s trial stage.
The consultation period finished on 3 March 2024. The feedback received will be combined with data collected by the council and will be used to review the scheme. Any decision to retain the scheme on a permanent basis would be made at the local Neighbourhood Committee before 3 March 2025.

Ellingham Primary School
The road outside Ellingham Primary has been a School Street since September 2023 under an Experimental Traffic Management Order.The introduction of the School Street has led to a dramatic reduction in vehicle congestion and the school is currently working towards its first TfL Travel for Life accreditation. The consultation period finished on 3 March 2024. The feedback received will be combined with data collected by the council and will be used to review the scheme. Any decision to retain the scheme on a permanent basis would be made at the local Neighbourhood Committee before 3 March 2025.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information. You can find out more about our current trial School Streets Ellingham Primary School and St Philips School and our eight permanent School Streets.

Ways to have your say

Each scheme has its own consultation during the trail phase so please use these to give your feedback if they are open. If you have any comments, whether good or bad on permanent school streets, or any questions or issues you can call us on 0208 547 5000 or email us at schoolstreets@kingston.gov.uk.

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