Proposals have been announced for Cathedral Primary School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School to join Bristol’s School Streets programme.
This is the initiative that aims to make roads in school communities safer for everyone. So far seven schools in Bristol have had their streets become priority zones for people to walk and cycle and restrict car use at the start and end of the school day. This helps to:
- reduce the volume of traffic passing school gates
- improve road safety for pupils
- increase the number of pupils walking and cycling to school
- improve air quality and create a more pleasant environment for everyone
To make sure there is support for a new School Street at College Square, parents, carers, staff, as well as residents and businesses in the area, are being asked for their thoughts on the existing traffic and parking situation and for their opinions on the proposals.
Councillor Don Alexander, Cabinet Member for Transport, said:
School Streets provide safer, more sustainable journeys to school, while encouraging good habits in children who get used to active daily travel from an early age.
We hope there is plenty of support for these measures as they have the potential to transform the space outside these schools, creating a more pleasant environment for everyone, while making sure residents, businesses, pedestrians and cyclists can still use the roads.
In a join comment, Sara Yarnold, Headteacher of Cathedral Primary School, and Joseph Thurston, Headteacher of Bristol Cathedral School, said:
Turning College Square into a School Street during term-time would give our pupils more confidence to walk and cycle to school, making the area safer and reducing pollution at the school gates.
We hope these proposals get plenty of support and we look forward to seeing more of our learners travelling actively to school.
If there is general support for the proposals, College Square will become a walking, cycling, wheeling and scooting-only zone at school start and finish times.
Vehicles would not be permitted to enter the zone for around 45 minutes in the morning between 8.15am and 9am and one-hour in the afternoon between 2.45pm and 3.45pm. The restrictions would not apply to emergency vehicles and Blue Badge holders.
The scheme will encourage families to walk, cycle, wheel, scoot or park further away from the school and walk the last part of the journey.
To find out more about the proposed scheme and to complete a short survey, please visit www.travelwest.info/cathedralschools by 23 December 2022.