Parents to be banned from dropping off their kids by car at 18 schools

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Parents are set to be banned from dropping their kids off by car at 18 more schools.

Lambeth council has released the list of schools where cars will be forbidden at drop-off and pick-up times.

The council has decided to keep 18 of the 20 car-free zones outside schools that it put in place temporarily in June 2021. It will spend £3,000 making the so-called ‘School Streets’ permanent.

The measures are intended to reduce traffic and pollution around schools and encourage kids to walk or cycle.

Council documents dated November 21 read: “Limited parking around most schools within the borough results in some drivers parking inconsiderately or dangerously close to the school gates, putting all arriving at school at risk of road traffic collision and poor health.

“In addition, the heightened congestion very often becomes an inconvenience to local residents with indiscriminate parking and poor driver behaviour a common occurrence.

“The permanent schemes will ensure an overall reduction in petrol and diesel vehicles and, in turn, will improve air quality on the affected streets.”

Air quality in neighbouring streets is unlikely to be improved significantly by the measures, the documents add. But air quality and traffic will continue to be monitored in the immediate vicinity of the closed streets.

The documents continue: “It has long been known that transport-derived emissions, from fossil-fuel-propelled vehicles, are the primary source of poor air quality, and School Streets go a long way in helping to introduce air quality benefits to children and the school community by the simple action of restricting vehicle access to the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times.”

Car free zones that have been in place outside two schools in Cotherstone Road in Streatham since June 2021 will be removed. These are Christ Church Streatham CoE Primary School and The Orchard Primary School.

The council said it was removing these School Streets because of “overwhelmingly negative” feedback to them. It will cost £2,000 to remove signs in Cotherstone Road.

There are only two schools in Lambeth at present where cars are permanently banned during drop-off and pick-up times.

These are Jessops Primary School in Herne Hill and Immanuel and St. Andrews CE Primary School in Streatham. There are another 22 schools where car free zones have been implemented temporarily.

The Lambeth schools where cars will be banned from permanently during drop-off and pick-up times are: 

Archbishop Sumner Primary School, Kennington

Bonneville Primary School, Clapham

Elm Wood Primary School, Norwood

Granton Primary School, Streatham

Henry Cavendish Primary School, Balham

Hitherfield Primary School, Streatham

Julian’s Primary School, West Norwood

Larkhall Primary School, Stockwell

Reay Primary School, Oval

St John Angell Town Primary School, Brixton

St Luke’s Primary School, Norwood

St Mary’s RC Primary School, Clapham

Stockwell Primary School, Stockwell

Telferscot Primary School, Balham

Van Gogh Primary School (Hackford Road), Stockwell

Van Gogh Primary School (Cowley Road), Vassall

Walnut Tree Walk Primary School, Vauxhall

Woodmansterne School, Streatham

Pictured top: Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton (Picture: Google Street View)