Healthy School Streets Consultation - St Margaret's School and St Luke's CoE School

Overview

We are seeking your views on proposals to introduce a trial Healthy School Street scheme (timed restrictions to motor vehicles) on the streets around St Luke’s Church of England School and St Margaret’s School. We are also proposing wider safer, healthy streets measures in the area. 

We want our streets to have more safe space for everyone to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely and healthily, for businesses to be able to flourish, to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles and for you to be breathing cleaner air.

In line with our Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan, and Clean Air Strategy and Clean Air Action Plan, and to continue supporting safe, healthy, and active travel, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme.

There are now 31 Healthy School Street schemes in the borough, with a total of 35 schools in those locations having timed or permanent road closures. The monitoring data that we have collected on these schemes, which can be accessed on our website, has shown that they can have a positive impact on reducing traffic levels outside schools, contribute to improved air quality and are often supported by pupils who want us to do more to improve their journey to school.

About the proposed St Margaret's School and St Luke's Church of England School Healthy School Street

Over the past two years, we have received comments from the local community raising concerns about through traffic and requests for a Healthy School Street or similar through-traffic restrictions.

We have also collected traffic count data at a number of locations in the area across an average week during school term time which shows us that traffic levels on these streets are at some of their highest levels during school run times. Figure 1 below outlines data collected on Ferncroft Avenue where St Margaret’s is located, and Figure 2 shows Kidderpore Avenue where St Luke’s C of E School is located.

Figure 1 –Ferncroft Avenue Average Weekday Daily Traffic Levels, week commencing 22/06/2022

Figure 2 – Kidderpore Avenue Average Weekday Daily Traffic Levels, week commencing 22/06/2022

For Ferncroft Avenue, traffic data (in Figure 1) shows that traffic volumes remain high throughout the day with an increase at school drop off times in the morning at over 130 vehicles (weekday daily average). It also shows that traffic increases at school pick up times in the afternoon, with over 135 vehicles (weekday daily average) and continues to increase until the early evening. For Kidderpore Avenue, traffic data (in figure 2) shows a significant increase of over 270 vehicles (weekday daily average) at school drop off times in the morning; there are also high volumes at over 130 vehicles (weekday daily average) at pick-up times in the afternoon as well.  This is comparable to the traffic volumes of Ferncroft Avenue data shown above. 

Following the feedback we have received from some of the local community groups and residents, having carried out the above monitoring, and in line with our ambition to roll out Healthy School Streets to all feasible schools by 2025, we are proposing a trial timed Healthy School Street scheme with motor vehicle restrictions on Kidderpore Avenue, Ferncroft Avenue and Kidderpore Gardens between 7:45am – 9am and 3pm – 4:15pm, Monday to Friday during school term times only.

The proposed trial scheme is larger than some Healthy School Street schemes in order to provide quieter and safer streets around both the schools at school pick-up and drop-off times. The scheme would include relevant signage alerting all road users to the restrictions and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras for traffic enforcement at the start of each restricted section of the above roads. The trial Healthy School Street signage would state the times of the road closures and would be closed during school holidays.

We propose to trial the measures using an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for a period of up to 18 months, at which point a decision would be made whether to make the scheme permanent, remove it entirely, or keep it with some changes. If we proposed to make the trial scheme permanent with any substantial changes, we would hold a further full public consultation beforehand.

If the trial proposals are approved for implementation following this consultation, we would carefully monitor the impacts of the scheme through traffic volume monitoring on both the restricted roads and those nearby. Monitoring from previous Healthy School Street schemes has shown that there can be a reduction in traffic on neighbouring roads outside the restricted area, especially once residents have had time to get used to the changes.

The following vehicles would be exempt from the timed Healthy School Street restrictions by applying for an exemption.

• Vehicles registered to properties and businesses on the sections of the streets within the timed restriction area (exemptions would need to be applied for and agreed with the Council)
• Vehicles belonging to parents with a Blue Badge who have a pupil attending St Maragaret's school and St Luke's Church of England school, or parents/carers of pupils of these Schools that have a disability that prevents them from walking, cycling, or scooting to school (exemptions would need to be agreed with the Council)

Emergency services such as ambulance, fire brigade or police, Door to door services such as Plus Bus and Dial A Ride and refuse collection vehicles and other statutory services will be automatically exempt.

School staff and visitors to the schools would not be exempt. Taxis and delivery vehicles would not be exempt, and such trips would need to be scheduled outside of the restricted times or the vehicles would need to be parked outside of the restricted area. However, exemptions can be applied for in exceptional circumstances, such as when elderly or disabled people may need essential taxi journeys during the restricted hours. All the requests for exemptions can be applied for by contacting the Healthy School Streets team over the phone or via email. If the scheme goes ahead, details of how to apply for an exemption will be posted to residents and businesses in the consultation area. 

Other proposed Safe and Healthy Street changes in the area

In addition to these proposed trial Healthy School Street measures outlined above, we are also proposing additional measures to reduce traffic, and improve road safety and air quality including:

• Permanently widening the pavement on Ferncroft Avenue at the junction of Kidderpore Gardens and extending the existing raised section of road, to facilitate safer crossing for pedestrians and slowing down the speed of vehicles. To do this, we propose to remove 2 resident parking bays and reduce a further residents parking bay by 1 metre.
• Plant two trees and add cycle stands on the previously widened pavement on Kidderpore Avenue outside St Luke’s C of E school. We would replace the surface material of the pavement widening as set out on the drawings.

The following photo shows an example of an existing Healthy School Street which demonstrates how that element the proposed scheme could look. Similar signage is proposed to be installed as a part of this scheme. 

Photo of Healthy School Street at Burghley Road

Why your views matter

This is your opportunity to comment

The Council will be pleased to hear your views on the trial and permanent proposals, as well as any alternative suggestions or objections you may have to any aspect of what we are proposing. For information on how we will use data collected from this consultation read our privacy statement: Data protection, privacy and cookies - Camden Council

The proposed Healthy School Street timed restriction changes, if approved, would be implemented as a trial under an ETO for a maximum of 18 months.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.  Monitoring data collected, feedback from residents and stakeholders received during the ETO period, and relevant policies, would then help inform the Council’s decision as to whether, at the end of the trial period, the scheme should be made permanent, modified (and, if so, whether with or without changes) or allowed to lapse. The proposals for permanent Safe and Healthy Streets measures would not form part of the trial and would be installed, if approved, following the statutory consultation as required. If we propose to make the trial scheme permanent with any substantial changes, we would hold a further full public consultation beforehand.

Consultation responses as well as data and Council policies will also inform the decision on whether to progress the proposed permanent measures. 

We would also collect a range of pre and post scheme monitoring data: traffic counts on Kidderpore Avenue, Ferncroft Avenue and all surrounding roads to ascertain the impact of the scheme, monitoring of traffic speeds, levels of cycling, road traffic collision data, and air quality. We would also have a Commonplace survey open for the duration of the trial so that feedback could be collected on the scheme and Camden officers would be available to answer any questions or concerns via our dedicated Healthy School Streets email inbox.

 It is important to note that monitoring from previous Healthy School Street schemes and safe and Healthy Street Schemes has shown that there can be a reduction in traffic on neighbouring roads outside the restricted area, especially once residents have had time to get used to the changes.

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.