COUNCIL TEXT
As you may be aware a Safer Routes to School for Brecknock Primary School was consulted and approved last year with number of safety measures built and the remainder has now started to be built.
These safety measures include:
- Raising the existing zebra crossing outside Brecknock Primary School on York Way
- Three new zebra crossings at the junction of Camden park Road and York Way
- Pedestrian crossing facility at Hungerford Road/York Way
The children of Brecknock School identified the area outside the school as one that needs further imporovement.
A study was carried out by Camden Council in partnership with the School Council to discuss the childrens concerns and arrive at possible solutions.
This scheme has been identified for improvement as part of the Safer Routes to School initiative and will from phase 2 of the Brecknock Safer Routes to School scheme.
The proposals shown in detail have been agreed by Brecknock School Council. The aim is either to close the road or widen the pavement outside the school entrance.
The aims of Camden Safer Routes to School initiative are:
- improve school child safety outside the school entrance
- improve pedestrian safety outside the school entrance
- introduce a School Safety Zone therefore encouraging drivers to take due care and attention when in the area surrounding the school.
- encourage lower speeds in the area surrounding the school
Camden Council would like to hear your views on these proposals.
Proposed Improvements in Cliff Villas
This road is relatively clear during the day, but congetsed at school opening and closing times. Speeds do not exceed 23 mph.
Option 1
Road closure (bollards on both sides of the school entrance in Cliff Villas)
Option 2
Pavement widening (kerb build out outside the school’s main entrance in Cliff Road).
CCC RESPONSE
Camden Cycling Campaign is pleased to have the opportunity to respond to this consultation. After a consultation with our members, we have reached the following conclusions:
We definitely prefer Option 1 (the road closure), because we believe that the council should do the best they can to discourage parents from driving children to school. In the event that the road closure is implemented, we request that cycle gaps should be provided between each of the two sets of the bollards.
One concern does arise from the road closure: that is, that parents may drop their children in York Way, exposing them to the dangers of that rather fast stretch of road. We therefore suggest that when the safety measures from phase 1 are complete, that the section of York Way north of the junction with Camden Park Road should be monitored and if necessary, a speed limit of 20 mph be imposed.
The first page of the consultation gives a very poor description of the aims of the safer routes to schools initiative. It doesn’t say anything about encouraging children to walk or cycle to school. Surely those two factors are the main driving forces behind this initiative! Because of the way these aims are expressed I wonder whether the third one really says what it should say. It says the following: introduce a School Safety Zone therefore encouraging drivers to take due care and attention when in the area surrounding the school. I think that the officer that wrote that sentence was thinking of the area immediately outside the school. Really this should mean that the safety zone includes the catchment area for the school, so that children can walk or cycle safely to the school from their homes. It is very important to get the motivation right if we really are going to achieve an environment in which older children can travel independently and reduce the dependence on private cars for transport.
