To date, Bristol City Council has successfully launched the School Streets scheme with seven primary schools in the city. This was extended to St Bernadette Catholic Primary school, which launched on the 18th September 2023.
The main aims of Bristol School Streets are to:
To reduce traffic danger and congestion in the area, Bristol City Council has turned Gladstone Road into a walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting-only zone at school start and finish times.
Vehicles are not permitted to enter the zone for approximately 45 minutes in the morning between 8.30am and 9.15am and 45 minutes in the afternoon between 2.45pm and 3.30pm. Emergency vehicles, Blue Badge holders and Gladstone Road residents are exempt from these restrictions.
The scheme is enforced by the police. The penalty for ignoring the prohibition is a fixed penalty notice. Advanced warning signs have been be installed, and temporary barriers placed at the entrance to the scheme and monitored by school staff. All vehicles already parked in the zone before the times of operation are able to exit without incurring a fixed penalty notice.
School Streets makes it easier for Blue Badge holders to access the school entrances by reducing traffic outside the school gates. Those holding valid Blue Badges are exempt from the restrictions but existing parking restrictions (e.g. double yellow lines) still apply. We ask that Blue Badge holders display their Blue Badge clearly in the windscreen of their vehicle and they may be stopped and asked to confirm their details on some occasions.
We ask people with additional access requirements and those with disabilities to contact the Bristol School Streets team to discuss any personal access needs as they may be eligible for an exemption access permit.
Parents or carers dropping children at school are not eligible for an exemption, unless you or your child are a Blue Badge holder, resident of Gladstone Road or have access needs. We are pleased that parents are embracing the scheme and are choosing to walk, cycle or scoot where possible.
School staff need to be inside the School Street zone area before it comes into operation. Only staff who have a Blue Badge are exempt. School staff are able to leave the zone during the times of operation without requiring an access permit.
Bristol School Streets encourages and prioritises a safe environment around schools to allow for walking, cycling and scooting. Parents and carers who feel they need to drive have to park legally nearby and walk the remainder of the journey.
We are working with the school to promote active travel to school, which includes walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting.
Evidence suggests that where School Streets have been implemented, the result is a reduction in car use rather than displacement to surrounding streets. We are continuing to monitor the impact of the scheme now it has been implemented.
Data was collected before the scheme was implemented and is being monitored now the measures are in place. The change in traffic levels, parking surveys, how pupils travel to school and feedback from the local community are all being used to measure the success of the scheme’
If you have a specific query, that has not been answered in this page, please contact us via the below email address.
Leaders across the West have welcomed greater investment through today’s Spending Review, with a record three-quarters of a billion pounds of transport funding confirmed for the West. That means better buses, more trains, and mass transit – with trams and much more on the table. The Treasury has also today confirmed plans to improve rail links between Bristol and Cardiff.
The second phase of a project - to reduce congestion, improve the reliability of buses, and promote active travel along a major transport route in Bristol - will get underway from Monday 16 June 2025.
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