Healthy School Streets Consultation - Christopher Hatton Primary School- Mount Pleasant

Overview

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.

As 69% of households in Camden do not own a car and public transport capacity 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 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.

Healthy School Streets create a safer and healthier environment by temporarily closing roads to traffic outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times. This enables more children to walk, cycle or scoot to school, with less air pollution, road danger, congestion and more space for people to physically distance. Healthy School Streets help to discourage car trips, particularly amongst parents/carers, by providing a safe and inviting space for more walking, cycling and scooting.

Why your views matter

We are consulting on 2 schemes around Christopher Hatton School

1. Healthy School Street - Motor vehicles on Mount Pleasant, from the junction with Elm Street would be prohibited at school pick-up and drop-off times. The restrictions would be enforced using Healthy School Street signage.

The scheme would be introduced as a trial for a maximum of 18 months. After 12 months a further consultation would be carried out to decide whether to make the scheme permanent.

WE PROPOSE TO -

• Create a timed Healthy School Street road closure on Mondays to Fridays from 8.00am-9.15am and 3pm-4pm during school term time. This woudl improve safety for local residents, parents and pupils accessing Christopher Hatton School, by preventing vehicles from accessing Mount Pleasant, from the junction with Elm Street at school pick-up and drop-off times
• Install relevant signage to alert drivers of the restriction,
•  Close the signs during school holidays   

The following vehicles would be exempt from the restrictions on Mount Pleasant:

• Vehicles registered to properties and businesses on Mount Pleasant
• Any vehicle being used for fire brigade, ambulance or policing purposes
• Refuse collection teams
• Blue Disabled Badge holders resident on the above section of Mount Pleasant
• Pupils of Christopher Hatton School that have a disability that prevents them from walking, cycling or scooting to school.

Taxis and deliveries will not be exempt, and these should be scheduled outside of the restricted times. However exemptions can be applied for in exceptional circumstances, such as when people with mobility issues may need essential taxis during the restricted hours.                     

If the scheme goes ahead, details of how to apply for an exemption will be posted to residents/businesses in the consultation area.    

2. Existing pedestrian and cycle scheme on Laystall Street -  we are proposing to make permanent the existing pedestrian and cycle scheme, currently in place under and Experimental Traffic Order. The scheme restricts access to motor traffic on Laystall Street between Mount Pleasant and Rosebery Avenue.

This measure currently prevents Laystall Street being used as a cut through by motor vehicles moving between Mount Pleasant and Rosebery Avenue. This creates safer access to Christopher Hatton School. It also allows 2-way cycling on Laystall Street.

Motor vehicle access to the school and to Mullen Tower is maintained, with two way motor traffic permitted between the entrance to Mullen Tower and Mount Pleasant. A removable bollard located at the mid point on Laystall Street provides a physical restriction to general traffic whilst maintaining refuse collection and emergency service access.

A loading point has been created on Mount Pleasant in place of an existing resident parking bay. In addition to this, a 7.5t weight restriction has been implemented at the junction of Mount Pleasant and Elm Street in order to restrict access on Mount Pleasant to larger Heavy Goods Vehicles. No through road signage is used at the junction of Mount Pleasant and Elm Street warning motorists that Laystall Street is no longer a through route.

During the trial period of the scheme, traffic volumes on Mount Pleasant have been collected. The data shows that traffic volumes on Mount Pleasant are unchanged. The were no comments made about the scheme during the trial period. Making this scheme permanent would provide a complimentary measure to the proposed Healthy School Street.

In line with new Department for Transport guidance, we are now consulting on all new and amended Safe and Healthy Street schemes so that we can engage our local residents, businesses and stakeholders in changes happening on their streets. We want to know what you think about these proposals.