Fleet Primary School Safe and Healthy Streets consultation

Overview

We are seeking your views on proposals to make the temporary pavement widening outside the school permanent, and your ideas for other road safety and public realm improvements outside the school that we could consider in future consultations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how people in Camden live, travel and work. Since the start of the pandemic many of us have been spending more time closer to home, making our neighbourhoods more important than ever. We want our streets to be safe spaces for you to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely and healthily, for businesses to be able to flourish and for you to be breathing cleaner air. We want to ensure that our streets support recovery from the pandemic and provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer, healthier travel, helping us to deliver our wide Transport Strategy objectives.

As 69% of households in Camden do not own a car and public transport usage remains much lower than before the pandemic, we know that safe and easy walking, cycling, and scooting routes are more important than ever. Supporting and encouraging those who can walk and cycle, by creating safer streets will ensure that there is more space available on public transport and on our roads for those who need it the most.

To help respond to the transport challenges on our streets caused by the pandemic, and in line with our Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Clean Air Action Plan, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme.

About the Fleet Primary School Safe and Healthy Streets scheme

The Fleet Primary School Safe and Healthy Streets scheme consists of a widened pavement on Agincourt Road outside the school. This included replacing 41 metres of single yellow line with double yellow lines. The objectives of the scheme were to aid with social distancing for pupils and parents/carers and to improve road safety outside the rear entrance to the school.

The scheme was requested by a representative at Fleet Primary School, who contacted the Council regarding the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was noted that the school was experiencing difficulties with maintaining social distancing outside the entrance on Agincourt Road due to the narrow width of the pavement. A further issue was raised regarding road safety, and a pavement extension was suggested.

We implemented the Fleet Primary School pavement widening scheme as a temporary measure in May 2020, under a Temporary Traffic Order (TTO) which is in place between the 20^th March 2021 and 19^th March 2022, as part of our School Road Safety Programme. The decision report related to this TTO (and the TTO for 2 other schools) was approved on 3^rd February 2020 and is provided in the Related section at the bottom of this page.

The approved scheme involved widening 40.5 metres of the existing pavement, situated between the school’s car park entrance and the school gate on Agincourt Road. The widening was achieved through extending the existing pavement, introducing new 150mm wide concrete kerbs offset between 1.3 to 2 metres from the existing kerb line, with the gap between the previous and new kerbs infilled with asphalt (tarmac).

The decision report noted that a further consultation, after around 5 months of the temporary scheme being constructed, would take place relating to any proposed permanent changes. The temporary scheme went live in May 2020 and during this period, comments received from the school, local residents and stakeholders have been monitored.

This consultation now asks the school, local residents and stakeholders to give their views on whether the Fleet Primary School temporary pavement widening scheme should be made permanent. The proposed permanent scheme would remain unchanged from its temporary version.

What we are now consulting on?

Based on officer observations and the feedback received from the school, residents, and stakeholders during the trial period, and in line with policies and objectives set out in our Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Clean Air Action Plan, we are now consulting on making the temporary pavement widening measures permanent including:

• Keeping the widened pavement outside the school on Agincourt Road.
• Keeping 41 metres of double yellow lines adjacent to the widened pavement outside the school on Agincourt Road. The double yellow lines replaced a single yellow line.

You can view the drawing of the changes in the Related section at the bottom of this page.

The proposed permanent scheme, if approved, would remain unchanged from its trial version.

We are also using this opportunity to gather your views on whether you would like us to investigate any other changes which could make the area around Fleet Primary School safer and healthier, beyond the pavement widening proposals. This could include, for example, other sections of pavement in the nearby vicinity where you would like to see widening. Other improvements could include traffic speed reduction measures, trees and other planting, cycle parking facilities (including bike hangars) or seating. We will carefully analyse recommendations and, where feasible and subject to funding, carry out separate consultations on such measures going forward.

Why your views matter

As 40% of households in the area do not have access to a car and public transport patronage levels remain lower than before the pandemic, we know that safe and easy walking, cycling, and scooting routes are more important than ever. Supporting and encouraging those who are able to walk and cycle, by creating safer streets will ensure that there is more space available on public transport and on our roads for those who need it the most.

The previous changes were implemented as a temporary measure under a TTO. We committed to undertaking a public consultation after around 5 months of the temporary scheme being constructed to seek the views of the school, local residents and stakeholders on making the temporary scheme permanent.

Your views are important in providing feedback on the scheme, and we would therefore welcome your responses on the pages that follow. To view the plans and find out more about the proposals, click on the links in the Related section at the bottom of this page.

The Council will be pleased to hear your views on the proposals as well as any alternative suggestions or objections you may have to any aspect of what we are proposing.

What happens next

After the consultation, a decision report will be produced and published online via our website. The school, local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome. The report will consider a broad range of information including officer observations, consultation responses, feedback received during the trial period, relevant policies, and other data/information.

All of this information will be considered in making a recommendation in the report about whether the temporary pavement widening measures should be made permanent, modified, or removed.