School Streets
Making the school run healthier and happier
We are delivering School Streets in west Cheshire as part of our plans to improve road safety, encourage walking, cycling, and scooting to and from school and improve the air quality and environment outside schools.
We are committed to making the borough's streets safer for everyone living, working, and visiting west Cheshire. An area of priority are the streets outside our schools - we want to make the journey to school safer and healthier for children and their families and help to make it a pleasant environment for everyone living and working there.
One of the ways we are doing this is through the introduction of School Streets, whereby the street or streets immediately outside the school entrance are closed to non-essential motorised vehicles at school opening and closing times.
Only people walking, cycling, and scooting are permitted access to the School Street zone while the restriction is in place, with exemptions given to emergency vehicles and Blue Badge holders. Permits will be given to residents living and businesses working within the zone.
Aims of the School Street scheme
The aim of a School Street is to make it easier and safer for children and their parents or carers to walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Reducing the use of private car journeys to and from school should lead to:
- Less road danger from traffic
- Less anti-social behaviour from inconsiderate parking and dangerous driving
- More children walking, cycling, and scooting to school
- Reduced congestion and local pollution from idling vehicles
School Streets are now being rolled out by local authorities across the country. In April 2023 we will launch our own pilot scheme and then we plan to extend the scheme in future based on feedback from these initial pilots.
Contact the School Streets team
If you would like to contact us about the current Schools Streets at Our Lady's Star of the Sea Primary School and Woodlands Primary School, please use our form:
Your questions answered
A School Street is a stretch of road outside a school that is temporarily closed to traffic during school drop off and pick-up times. This then limits traffic in the road outside the school at key times and creates a predominantly car free zone resulting in a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone around the school. The scheme encourages travelling to school by walking and cycling or scooting.
Vehicles will not be allowed to enter the School Street when it is in operation (during school drop-off and pick up times) unless exempt.
Exemptions include:
- Residents' vehicles displaying a valid School Streets permit
- Blue badge holders residing at or visiting properties within the restricted roads, or accessing the school
- School buses and school transport services serving the school.
- Public transport
- Taxis serving properties within the restricted roads
- Emergency services, doctors on call, district nurses, carers and support workers working at the properties on the restricted roads
- Statutory public services/utilities (gas, electricity, water, telecoms companies) working at the properties on the restricted roads
- Tradespeople serving properties within the restricted roads
- Delivery and postal services
Motorists are required to drive carefully during the School Street operation times. Residents who live on the School Street (or require access to their property) will be exempt but will need to display a permit. All residents in the School Street Zone will receive a letter from the Council to explain this which will include one permit and how to apply for a further one.
The School Street will be in operation during term time only. The operational hours of the School Street will also be indicated on the road signs at the school.
A School Street reduces the build-up of traffic outside school gates for local residents and those using the school and creates a safer, healthier and happier environment for children, families and people in the community.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School in Ellesmere Port is the first school to launch in the borough. There are many School Streets around the country, and where they are in place, more children walk, cycle and scoot to school, air quality is improved and there is less traffic congestion - all things that can be achieved in west Cheshire too.
The Council understands it is not always possible for everyone to walk, cycle or scoot to and/or from school. Certain people and vehicles will be exempt from the School Street restrictions and the Council will work with the schools involved and their community to make sure that alternative suggestions are considered.
We are actively encouraging people to walk, cycle or scoot to school. If you have limited options to do this due to work commitments etc, we would encourage people to park and stride for the remainder of the journey. The Council will work with the schools involved and their community to make sure that alternative suggestions are considered.
If you are parking on roads outside of the School Street zone please be considerate of residents (for example, by not parking over driveways) and existing parking restrictions.
The Council is working with each of the schools to introduce the School Streets scheme for a trial period of 18 months. As it is a trial, each of the School Streets will be reviewed throughout this time and if the trials are considered successful, the Council will look to make the School Streets permanent.
The scheme will only operate during the week, Monday to Friday, during school drop-off and pick-up times. The restrictions will operate during term time only but please note that these dates may vary year on year.
The School Street scheme will be delivered through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO). We are inviting comments, questions, support for the scheme or objections (setting out your reasoning) to decide if the scheme should be made permanent.
Each of the School Streets will be trialled for 18 months. During the 18 months, the Council will closely monitor the School Streets and listen to feedback and ideas shared to help us decide if it is working for each of the schools and their local communities and will achieve the goals of creating a calmer environment, reducing traffic build-up, and improving air quality.
Entering the School Street Zone without a valid exemption is classed as a moving traffic offence. Cheshire Police currently enforce these contraventions.
If you require an additional vehicle permit, please complete our form and provide proof that the vehicle is registered at your address.
Where possible visitors who need to use a vehicle should visit outside of the School Street operation times.
Once you have received your permit, display it in your vehicle.
If you live on the School Street, please inform visitors and family members of the restrictions so that visits can ideally be planned outside of the operating hours.
If you are a parent or carer, share this information with any other people who may drop off or pick up your children from school. It is important that they are aware of the School Street Zone to avoid receiving a fine or points on their licence.
If you have another question, you can get in touch with us using our form: