Reading due to get its first 'school street'
Last updated 11th Nov 2020
Reading is set to get its first ever School Street, with councillors to vote next week on plans to close two roads to vehicles at drop-off and pick-up times.
And two further School Streets could soon follow.
An experimental School Street is being proposed on Downing Road and Lambourne Close, outside Park Lane Primary (Junior School).
Committee members of the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport (SEPT) committee will be asked to approve the plans next Wednesday (November 18).
Councillor Tony Page, lead member for SEPT, said:
“Pandemic restrictions, including the on going requirement to socially distance and restrictions on capacity of public transport, mean the creation of School Streets in Reading remain firmly on the agenda.
“School Streets not only make travel to schools safer and allow for social distancing, but also create a healthier and more pleasant local environment for everyone living in the vicinity.
“It is of course essential that schools bring the local community on board with any proposals for School Streets in their area, so I am pleased the consultation carried out by Park Lane Primary resulted in no local objections.
Invited
Earlier this year, Reading Borough Council (RBC) invited schools and colleges across the borough to apply to create a School Street outside their buildings.
The scheme allows closures of roads outside schools from traffic for up to 45 minutes twice a day during term time.
While the council has talked to several schools about potentially implementing a School Street, Park Lane Primary is the only school to have formally applied, despite being assessed by the council as being one of the 17 schools in the town which would get the least benefits from the scheme.
Park Lane Primary carried out an informal consultation with affected properties, and no objections were received, enabling the plans to reach this stage.
If the plans are approved, an experimental six-month traffic order will be put in place.
If there are no objections received after six months, the committee will be asked to approve the School Street as a permanent feature on Downing Road and Lambourne Close.
More planned
Two other School Street proposals are currently in the works.
Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, UTC, and Alfred Sutton Primary School are developing a joint proposal and currently carrying out an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on the proposal to implement a School Street on Crescent Road, between Wokingham Road and Bulmershe Road.
Additionally, Wilson Primary School is currently carrying out an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on its proposal to implement a School Street on Wilson Road.