School street

  • A School Street is an initiative that closes the road to traffic briefly at key drop off and collection times at the school, creating a much safer environment with improved air quality. Children can walk to school without experiencing gridlock and idling vehicles, dangerous driving, anti-social behaviour and toxic fumes. School Streets create a healthier environment for everyone. They’re not new - there are already 800 across London and are a tried and tested solution. Residents are exempt and can come and go as they please. Businesses can also apply for exemptions.

  • Following a consultation with residents, businesses and schools, Waltham Forest implement school streets as a trial initially, then review after 6-9 months to allow for any adjustments, unforeseen operational issues etc.

  • School Streets operate at school drop off and pick up time, Monday-Friday during term time. It is likely that traffic would be restricted from 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm.

  • Residents and businesses within the School Street zone can all still use the street during restricted hours. If anything, using your car as a resident should be easier as there would be a fraction of the cars on the road.

  • Yes, vehicles already parked in the roads before the times of operation will be able to exit.

  • Blue Badge holders, carers and visitors to the doctors can all still use the street during restricted hours. All exemptions need to be applied for. A School Street actually makes it much easier for those who really need to drive and park.

  • School Streets are statistically proven to reduce the overall amount of cars on the road. By making it less convenient for people to drive to school they encourage more sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling. For those that still need to drive children to school, we expect traffic to be dispersed over a wide area rather than concentrated outside the school gates. We will work with schools to communicate with those parents to park safely without obstructing residents on neighbouring streets.

  • The objective of the School Street is to make the school run safer, healthier and more enjoyable for the whole community, not to penalise parents. For those who need to rely on a car for children to travel to school, they can park slightly further away and walk the last part of the journey.

  • The scheme would be enforced using vehicle registration mark cameras at the entrace of roads within the School Streets zone. Vehicles that travel in without an exemption in place would be issued with a Penalty Charge Notices (PCN). The cost of the PCN will be £130, which will be reduced to £65 if paid within 14 days.

  • Although this might make traffic flow more freely, this in turn would encourage more people to drive down the road. The only way to reduce cars is to put restrictions in place.

  • Both Handsworth Primary School and Highams Park School communicate with parents and children encouraging alternative car-free ways of getting to school. This cannot be enforced though, only a restriction on vehicles will stop cars.

  • The Senior Site Manager overseeing the build has confirmed that no deliveries or lorries will be coming on to or leaving the site before 9.30am or between 3.00pm and 4.00pm.

  • This would help the safety of crossing the road but it would not reduce the number of cars using the street. The only way to reduce vehicles is to put restrictions in place.

  • If you need to drive to the doctor’s surgery during School Street hours, you’d be able to obtain a 1-day exemption by emailing the Council on the day of appointment (or beforehand). Information on how to do this would be on the Council website, the website of the GP, and on provided posters and leaflets at the surgery.

CPZ

  • A CPZ will reduce the amount of cars in the area, lowering emissions, making the streets healthier and safer. It will remove a large proportion of commuter traffic, giving residents priority for parking. It discourages people from using their cars for short local journeys, encouraging behaviour change. Making small changes to our way of life is good for the environment and our own well-being.

  • We believe the relatively small cost involved for car owners who need to park on the street is worth it in order to prevent commuters parking in Highams Park for free. In turn it will take cars off the roads, resulting in a safer and healthier environment for everyone. A large majority of properties in the affected area have off street parking.

  • The CPZ doesn’t have specific bays for each resident but by removing commuter parking it greatly increases the chance of finding a space. Residents on roads in Highams Park that already have a CPZ have spoken about how much easier it is for them to now park on their own road.

  • The cost of permits for residents that require street parking is from as little as £1.44 per week depending on vehicle owned. Visitor parking permits are £1.10 per hour. Prices can go up, but this would only be in line with other equivalent costs. Waltham Forest permits are among the cheapest in London.

  • Only residents with a permit can park in a CPZ. Any other vehicles will need a visitor permit.

  • A CPZ is necessary first as this provides the infrastructure to police the area and maintain it. It also minimises the impact of parked vehicles near the school.

  • The hours of the CPZ are decided through consultation. A variety of time frames are offered for residents to vote for their preference. Most other existing CPZs in Highams Park run from 08:30 – 18:00 Monday to Friday so it’s worth noting that no visitor permits are needed for the evenings or weekends.

  • Contrary to some popular belief, this is not a source of revenue for the council. Any funds raised as a result of the CPZ legally have to be spent on running the scheme and reinvested on other beneficial transport initiatives, such as funding Freedom Passes.

  • Households with a minimum of 1 resident over the age of 60 are automatically entitled to 90 free hours, within a rolling 12 month period.

  • Households with a new born baby are entitled to 30 free hours within the first 3 months of their child’s birth.

  • The existing disabled and ‘pay-by-phone’ bays outside the surgery would remain. There is currently enough space for around 8 cars in the ‘pay-by-phone’ bays. Blue Badge holders can also park for free in any CPZ permit areas in the borough.

  • A ‘car-free development’ is a housing or residential area built without parking spaces. Residents cannot apply for on-street parking permits. The new Regal development is an example of such and will have 33 residential units. Any resident of the Regal who owns a car will not be able to apply for a permit within a CPZ. This means that if you live on a road that has a CPZ, you are essentially ‘protected’ from any new car owners from such developments parking on your street. Without a CPZ more cars may fill our streets!

  • CPZs are proven to reduce the volume of cars on the roads. Children are exposed to up to five times more air pollution on the school run than at any other time and so preventing commuters parking their vehicles on the road at these times is crucial.

  • Additional CPZs will deter some commuters and reduce overall vehicles in the area, so parking will not be displaced like for like. This is about changing behaviour. However, some vehicle displacement is to be expected. Another reason to request change on your road too.

  • You’ll need to provide them with a permit during CPZ hours. But remember, when under consultation you can vote for the times that a CPZ is in action. This could avoid evenings and weekends.