School Streets trial

A School Street is a timed road closure which takes place at the beginning and the end of the school day and is designed to improve safety for the children and parents using the school. The School Street will be temporarily closed by using moveable barriers operated by trained stewards wearing high-visibility vests. This is achievable through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) and will last for a maximum of an hour at the beginning of the day. In practice, many schools find they do not need to use the full hour they have been allocated.

• To create a safer and more pleasant environment for families arriving at school, while also tackling congestion and reducing risk from motorised vehicles
• To encourage active travel to and from school
• To improve air quality in the immediate area outside of the school
• To encourage a long-lasting mode shift away from the car

Restricted vehicle access will be in place between set times around drop-off and pick-up on weekdays during school term time. A School Street does not operate during school holidays, inset days or at weekends.

Bramble Infant and Nursery School and St Jude’s Church of England Primary School are the first schools in the city to take part in the trial, which takes place in the autumn term.

St Jude’s Church of England Primary School will hold a taster day on Tuesday 29 June. The seven week trial will begin on Monday 13 September.

Bramble Infant and Nursery School’s taster day will take place on Thursday 1 July. The seven week trial will begin on Monday 20 September.

If you are a resident, business, parent or carer and have a question about the School Streets trial at either school, please contact:

Bramble Infant and Nursery School – Call 023 9282 8604 or email ccenquiries@bramble.portsmouth.sch.uk

St Jude’s Church of England Primary School – Call 023 9282 4061 or email office@st-judes.portsmouth.sch.uk

St Jude’s Primary School

A temporary road access restriction will be introduced on St Nicholas Street, Pembroke Close and Penny Street for approximately one hour on term-time weekdays between 8am to 9am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

Bramble Nursery and Infant School

A temporary road access restriction will be introduced on Heyward Road for approximately one hour on term-time weekdays between 8.20am to 9.20am and 3pm to 4pm.

The closures at both schools will be managed using barriers and signs on the road by trained stewards wearing high-visibility vests. The barriers will be removed outside of these times.

All vehicles already parked in the street before the times of operation will be able to leave when they need to. If your School Street is marshalled, the marshals are able to let you out of the School Street zone, however we strongly encourage you not to move your vehicle during the closure.

Specific arrangements differ between School Streets, but in all cases blue badge holders and emergency vehicles would be able to enter the School Street zone during the closure times. Any additional exemptions are usually agreed during the engagement period in the lead-up to implementation of the School Street. It is important to remember that School Streets generally operate on a trial basis to begin with. Exemptions will be one aspect of the scheme that will be examined based on feedback received during the trial. Home to School Transport vehicles will also be exempt.

Yes. Blue badge holders would be able to enter the School Street zone. You will need to drive at walking pace with a marshal within the zone to ensure the safety of people within it.

No. Parents or carers dropping children at school are not able to drive into a School Street zone unless they can show that they are exempt. You will still be able to walk, cycle or scoot to school in a more friendly and safer environment.

We encourage all residents, businesses and even the participating schools to ensure they don’t arrange for deliveries during the closure times. If, however, you simply cannot rearrange a delivery time, the driver will be guided through the School Street at walking pace behind a steward. This is the same for all vehicles.

If possible, we would encourage you to alter any pre-existing weekly shopping deliveries to fall either side of the closure times.

School Streets are implemented on a trial basis, using Experimental or Temporary Traffic Orders. The trial period will be for seven weeks from September 2021. If the trial is successful based on the results of monitoring and feedback from the school community and local residents, the closure is likely to be made permanent.

Under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO), all utility companies will have access to the street/s for any emergency work that’s required.

If you are interested in finding out more about School Streets or would like to enquire about a School Street for your school please email schoolstreets@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Please allow five working days for a response.