Car traffic could soon be banned from outside two schools in Bristol city centre at the start and end of each school day. The move would aim to make the road safer for pupils, cut air pollution levels near the schools and encourage pupils to walk and cycle.
The new proposal would see traffic restrictions in College Square, from 8.15am to 9am and from 2.45pm to 3.45pm. Cathedral Primary School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School would join the growing number of schools with traffic restrictions in the city.
Bristol City Council is now consulting parents, carers, staff, residents and businesses in the area about the changes, as part of its School Streets programme. The programme has already introduced restrictions outside seven other schools in Bristol.
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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.”
Emergency vehicles and Blue Badge holders would be exempt from the restrictions. The plan has been supported by Sara Yarnold, headteacher of Cathedral Primary School, and Joseph Thurston, headteacher of Bristol Cathedral School.
In a joint statement, they 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.”
The consultation runs until December 23 and can be found by visiting www.travelwest.info/cathedralschools. Other schools already taking part in the School Streets programme are: Wansdyke Primary in Whitchurch, St Peter’s Primary in Bishopsworth, Minerva Primary in Hillfields, Whitehall Primary in Easton, Redfield Educate Together, Victoria Park Primary in Windmill Hill, and Chester Park in Fishponds.
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