A traffic-free zone set up around a school as part of a trial has received a mixed response.
Holy Trinity C of E School in Chatsworth Road, Dartford has been trialling a “School Streets” scheme for the past five months aimed at encouraging families to walk, cycle or scoot to school rather than drive.
The programme, which introduces a timed restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times, has already been rolled out – with a mixed response – in other parts of the county, including Medway, Margate and Tunbridge Wells.
And so far the project has had a similar reaction from residents in Dartford with some feeling it hasn’t gone far enough to stop the issue of “bottle-neck traffic” at peak times.
Dartford councillor Matthew Davis has lived in Chatsworth Road previously and represents residents in the ward area.
He told KentOnline: “I have heard mixed reviews, with some residents quite liking it and others very much against it.”
And while he is pleased Kent County Council (KCC) is trying to improve the situation but feels more needs to be done.
He has backed a consultation currently taking place to put double yellow lines down the road and to improve the School Streets scheme being trialled.
“It doesn’t feel like a permanent solution at the moment,” he said. “The plastic barrier in the road and a woman stopping cars is not enough, plus it just displaces the traffic to another road and makes those residents unhappy too.”
He said the situation has got worse in the years since the school was built, as numbers of pupils have doubled in the past 30 years.
KCC says the scheme has so far produced some “positive results” with the area outside the school’s main entrance noticeably “quieter and calmer”.
They also say the intervention has resulted in improvements in the air quality during peak times and an increase in the amount of “active travel journeys” such as walking, scooting and cycling on the school run.
The trial started in April and works under an experiment traffic regulation order (ETRO) which restricts traffic from using the road during term-time, from Monday to Friday between 8.15am and 9.15am, and again between 2.45pm and 3.45pm.
Residents can apply for a permit to make them exempt from the ban, however, they are asked to still avoid the street during those times.
If successful the scheme could be made permanent.
In a newsletter to parents recently the school said the scheme “continued to be a success” stating that 96% are now “travelling actively across the week”.
But residents living in the surrounding roads feel it has failed as there are still parents parking dangerously along the road.
Cllr Davis added: “It’s quite a conundrum to solve.”
There are currently no plans to bring in “School streets” anywhere else in Dartford.
However, one woman whose mum was left brain-damaged and suffering with epilepsy after she was knocked down by a car in London 60 years ago when she was eight years old agrees with the scheme.
Emma Upjohn, from Dartford, agrees with the School Streets scheme, but says it won’t work if parents don’t abide by the rules.
“From the pictures of cars parked in Chatsworth Road still, the scheme is 100% needed,” she adds.
“Road safety and awareness should be a top priority. Prevention is everything and could save a life.”
Emma’s mum Heather’s accident was life-changing and she was left with brain trauma, paralysis and poor vision and hearing on her entire left side.
She was able to have children but they had to be taken into care.
“My mum has suffered disabilities for years because she didn’t see the vehicle that struck her.” the mum-of-three said.
“Parents don’t think at all about the seriousness and the catastrophic events that could lead from it.
“They park badly and don’t think about child awareness.
“One day a kid could run out in-between badly parked cars and get hit, but many people think their kids are indestructible.”
Emma’s son recently finished year six at The Brent Primary School in London Road where she said a traffic warden has started issuing tickets to cars parked illegally at drop off and pick up times.
She thinks this might be a better idea than the current scheme.
KCC first trialled the scheme at Drapers Mills Primary Academy, in St Peters Footpath, Margate in 2020, but has since extended it to Southborough Church of England Primary School, in Broomhill Park Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells.
More recently, Medway Council has also since introduced the scheme.
However, six months after the “School Streets” were set up around seven sites there are concerns the rules are still being ignored by motorists who continue to break the rules.
But this hasn’t deterred the council from wanting to expand it to other sites.
A spokesperson for KCC said: “The feedback and monitoring activities that KCC and Holy Trinity CEP school have conducted so far indicate that the scheme has been producing some positive results, such as a dramatic transformation of the area outside the school’s main entrance – becoming much quieter and calmer for residents and families travelling to/from school.
“Other positive changes are also being noted, such as improvements in the air quality during peak times and the amount of ‘active travel journeys’ (walking, scooting and cycling etc.) on the school run.
“The consultation and the feedback survey links remain live until 21 October 2024, after which we will have more an idea of the successes and areas of improvement.
“Ultimately, our intention remains to create a safer, and more pleasant space for our neighbours and the families travelling to/from the school each day. Parent and resident feedback – combined with the ongoing monitoring activities – will be used to determine whether alterations to the current scheme set up could improve the overall experience and safety for those living and travelling near the school.”
Holy Trinity C of E Primary School did not respond to a request for comment.
