Healthy School Streets Consultation -Neighbourhoods of the Future Permanent Proposals

Overview

Neighbourhoods of the Future Healthy School Streets Zone – Maresfield Gardens, Netherhall Gardens, Netherhall Way, Nutley Terrace, and southern Frognal

Overview

Proposal to make the Neighbourhoods of the Future Healthy School Streets Zone motor vehicle restrictions permanent

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 and Climate Action Plan, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme.

Healthy School Streets (HSS) create a safer and healthier environment by temporarily closing roads to motor 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 interact. HSS schemes help to discourage car trips, particularly amongst parents and carers, by providing a safe and inviting space for more walking, cycling, and scooting.

Fifteen HSS schemes have been rolled out across Camden since March 2020, including the Neighbourhoods of the Future Healthy School Street Zone (NoF). This brings the total number of HSS schemes in the borough to 18, covering 25 schools.

About the Neighbourhoods of the Future Healthy School Streets Scheme

The Neighburhoods of the Future (NoF) HSS scheme (funded originally by the Greater London Authority and TfL/London Councils) consists of a timed road closure zone (with some exceptions) in the Frognal and Fitzjohns area. The zone incorporates South Hampstead High School (junior and senior sites), North Bridge House Pre-Preparatory School, Southbank International School and Holy Trinity Primary School. The closure locations are Maresfield Gardens, Netherhall Gardens, Nutley Terrace, Netherhall Way, and the southernmost part of Frognal.

The closures for motor vehicles are in place for an hour in the morning and an hour and a quarter in the afternoon to coincide with the opening and closing times of the relevant schools, from 8am to 9am and 3pm to 4.15pm Monday to Friday during the relevant schools’ term time only.

We implemented the NoF HSS scheme as a trial in September 2020, under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) which came into force on 14^th September 2020. The decision report related to this ETO was approved on 14^th January 2020 and is provided in the Related section below.

This decision report noted that a further consultation, after approximately 12 months of the trial scheme, would take place relating to any proposed permanent changes. The trial scheme went live in November 2020 and during this period, the scheme has been monitored and comments from local residents and stakeholders have been received.

This consultation now asks local residents and stakeholders to give their views on whether the NoF HSS zone should be made permanent after the end of the 18-month trial period. The proposed permanent scheme would remain unchanged from its trial version, but electric vehicles would no longer be exempt beyond the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year.

Monitoring information

During the trial period of the scheme, we have been collecting monitoring data which can be viewed in detail in the monitoring factsheet provided in the Related section below. Headlines include:

• In the morning peak between February 2019 (pre scheme) and June 2021 (during scheme), analysis of seven traffic monitoring sites shows a reduction in traffic of between 4% and 63% at six sites, with an increase in traffic flows of 8% at one site. In the afternoon peak, there is a similar picture, with five sites showing a reduction of between 28% and 43% after the scheme was introduced, and two sites showing an increase in traffic of 15% and 16%. In the morning peak between September 2020 (pre scheme) and June 2021 (during scheme), 20 out of 24 traffic monitoring sites recorded decreased traffic levels. In the afternoon peak, 19 out of 24 sites recorded decreased traffic levels.
• Between April-June 2019 and April-June 2021, air quality diffusion tubes recorded a minimum decrease of 17% in NO2, with the biggest reduction seen on Fitzjohn’s Avenue with a decrease of 23%.
• 46% of comments submitted on Commonplace, and 45% of correspondence (emails and phone calls) received during the trial were positive, with respondents highlighting quieter streets, a safer environment to walk and cycle and a reduction in traffic infringements as key benefits of the scheme.

What are we now consulting on?

Based on the monitoring data and the feedback received from residents and stakeholders during the trial period, and in line with policies and objectives set out in our Camden Transport Strategy and Climate Action Plan we are now consulting on making the trial changes permanent.

You can view the drawing of the changes in the Related section below.

The NoF HSS zone consists of timed road closures for motor vehicles on Maresfield Gardens, Netherhall Gardens, Netherhall Way, Nutley Terrace, and the southernmost part of Frognal. This is enforced using signage and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras on Netherhall Gardens and Nutley Terrace at the  junctions with Fitzjohn’s Avenue,  and Frognal, north of its junction with Hampstead Gate, and south of its junction with Arkwright Road. The traffic restrictions are in place between 8am-9am and 3pm-4.15pm Monday to Friday during school term time only. A map showing the extent of the NoF HSS zone and streets covered by the motor vehicle restrictions is provided in the Related section below.

The following vehicles are exempt from the restrictions:

• Cycles including standard and electric powered bicycles
• Vehicles registered to properties and businesses within the restricted area, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council
• Pure electric vehicles (not hybrid) until the end of the 2023-24 academic year
• Any vehicle being used for ambulance, fire brigade or policing purposes
• Refuse collection vehicles
• Blue Disabled Badge holders, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council
• Vehicles belonging to parents or carers of pupils of the schools within the zone that have a disability that prevents them from walking, cycling, or scooting to school, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council.

Based on the overall positive traffic data during the times of the restrictions, air quality data, and feedback received from residents and stakeholders during the trial period, we are now consulting on making the NoF HSS zone scheme permanent. The proposed permanent scheme will remain unchanged from its trial version, but electric vehicles will no longer be exempt beyond the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. The purpose of this exemption was to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and we have seen strong results with 38% of exemption requests for the scheme being attributed to this.  However, we must ensure that the scheme continues to provide a safe environment for children, parents, and school staff to travel to school by active modes of transport by limiting the number of vehicles that are able to travel through the zone.

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 trial under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for 18 months. We committed to undertaking a public consultation after around 12 months of the trial scheme to seek the views of local residents and stakeholders on making the trial scheme permanent after the 18-month trial period.

Your views are important in providing feedback both on the proposed scheme as a whole and elements of it, 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. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome. The report will consider a broad range of information including consultation responses, feedback received during the trial period, relevant policies and other data/information including monitoring information collected during the trial period.

All of this information will be considered in making a recommendation in the report about whether, at the end of the trial period, the experimental scheme should be made permanent, modified, or allowed to lapse.

What happens next

 As the consultation is now closed,your views, and those of everyone who contributes to this consultation, will be analysed and considered, alongside relevant data available on the scheme and in light of how the scheme aligns with our current policy objectives, in order to put forward recommendations on whether to proceed with the proposals.  A summary of this analysis will be provided in the decision report, and will be made available on the Camden Council website in due course.

If you have any other ideas for improvements to make travel safer and healthier in this area, please go to Safe Travel Camden Map  to make some suggestions.