Parents and teachers fear for children’s safety as school streets under threat

Parents and teachers have criticised council plans to remove protective bollards from a protected school street outside a primary school.

Nearly 700 people have signed a petition to save the bollards at Bessemer Primary School in Nairne Grove, North Dulwich, which were set up five years ago. 

Nairne Grove is one of 18 school streets in Southwark – where motor traffic is restricted outside school for an hour during pick up or drop off time – in order to improve road safety and reduce the impact of air pollution.  

Elizabeth Whitehead, head of Bessemer Primary School, said:  “Our school which has over 600 pupils is ‘split site’ so covers both sides of the road, Nairne Grove. 

“Parents and children need to cross the road to collect children from each side of the road and staff also escort children from site to site while the barriers are still up. 

“School staff have been supporting the scheme by putting the barriers up and down, something which we have always been happy to do.”

The council has said that CCTV cameras will be used to enforce the school street with fines for drivers filmed entering the regulated zones without a permit. But parents have said this does not offer their children any physical protection from cars.

A parent who started the petition, Alex Bigham, 41, who lives in Herne Hill, near the school said: “The bollards are popular with people who live on the street, parents and pupils and the school. 

“The cameras in our area already generate millions of pounds of revenue for the council, it seems only right that a small proportion of that is spent on keeping and maintaining the bollards which keep our children safe.”

Parents have been informed by the school that Southwark council plans to remove the collapsible bollards by January 2, 2024, but have said no formal consultation has been carried out by the council.

Councillor James McAsh, cabinet member for the climate emergency, clean air and streets, said: “A school street will remain at this specific site.

“As with all school streets, we work very closely with the school on how we manage the local area and we are meeting Bessemer Grange school leaders today to discuss the next steps and their preference for traffic management.

“Children’s safety is paramount and how we manage traffic near schools is generally guided by the wishes of the school, nothing has changed in that.

“ANPR is often preferable as it doesn’t require physical operation and removes the risk of barriers being left up or down at the wrong times.”

Pictured top: Bessemer Primary School Street (Picture: Alice Bing)