Two more primary schools in Kingston are set to get School Streets this autumn, Kingston Council has announced.

In a statement last week, the Council confirmed that it had approved a trial of new School Streets for St John's School in Portland Road, Kingston town and Christ Church School in Pine Gardens, Surbiton, though this is subject to an enhanced Equality Impact Assessment.

School Streets limit motor vehicle access during drop-off and pick-up times, supporting active travel by making it safer for children and their families to walk, cycle and scoot to school.

The new schemes will be introduced using Experimental Traffic Management Orders on a trial basis for a minimum of six months, up to 18 months.

Local people will be invited to share their views and feedback on the School Streets once the trials are in place, which is due to be shortly after children return to school in September 2021.

As with others in the borough , the streets will be in operation on weekdays for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon during school term time.

The Council said that residents and businesses who live or work on the School Streets will be contacted in the summer with details on how to register their vehicles for exemptions.

Prominent signage will be in place on all approaches and the new streets will be enforced by Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera.

Any vehicle without an exemption that enters the road during the timed restrictions will receive a Penalty Charge Notice. .

The Council will be measuring the impact of the trials on the local areas, collating local people's feedback alongside traffic and air quality data.

Cllr Stephanie Archer, Kingston Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainable Transport said: "We are delighted to be introducing two more School Streets in the borough, helping to create safer and healthier environments for children and their families on their journeys to and from St John's and Christ Church Primary Schools.

"St John's has an exemplary Gold Travel plan and Christ Church has been working hard to promote sustainable travel options and its Bikeability training to pupils, however, both schools are experiencing ongoing issues with through-traffic that is sadly out of their hands.

"From September, most vehicles will no longer be allowed outside the schools during drop-off and pick-up times, maximising space for families to walk, cycle and scoot safely.

"This will also help dramatically reduce vehicle idling outside the school entrances, helping improve air quality in the area.

"Our School Streets are one part of our wider commitment to tackling the climate emergency, improving air quality and enabling our residents and visitors to use sustainable travel options.

What are School Streets and where are they in Kingston?

School streets are timed closures to motor traffic outside schools, usually during pick up and drop off times.

The closures last between 30 and 45 minutes and are enforced through manually operated barriers or in London via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and fixed penalty notices.

Blue badge holders are exempt from the schemes, while residents who live and work on school streets and people with temporary disabilities can usually apply to be exempt.

School Streets were introduced to the UK in 2015 and the first one was trialled in Kingston at Lovelace Primary School in 2019.

Kingston now has 5 school streets. These are:

- Lovelace Primary School, Chessington (permanent)

- Latchmere and St Agatha's Primary Schools, Kingston (trial)

- Castle Hill Primary School, Chessington (trial)

For more information on Kingston's School Streets click HERE