Bristol School Streets: Whitehall Primary School

To reduce traffic danger and congestion in the area, Bristol City Council turned a section of Johnsons Lane, a section of Johnsons Road and Woodcroft Avenue into a walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting-only zone at school start and finish times.

There are physical barriers, managed by school staff placed at two points at the boundaries of the zone, at the junction of Johnsons Lane and Oakleigh Avenue and at the junction of Johnsons Road and Stepney Road.

The timings of the closure are between 08:30 – 09:15 in the morning and 15:10 – 15:45 in the afternoon, from Monday to Friday during term-time only. Emergency vehicles, Blue Badge holders and residents on the street are exempt from these restrictions.

To help with the closure, a new one-way has been introduced on Woodcroft Avenue going southbound, and the existing one way on Johnsons Lane was extended up to the junction with Oakleigh Avenue. Introducing a part-time one way system is considered unsafe, and so these one-ways are in use 24-hours a day, seven days a week. People travelling by cycle are exempt from this restriction.

The scheme can be enforced by the police. The penalty for ignoring the prohibition is a fixed penalty notice. Advanced warning signs have been 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 make 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.

Residents within the School Streets zone are able to exit their road during the zone’s operational hours without requiring an access permit.

If you live in the School Street zone and require access during the times of operation, you can apply for one here.

Where possible, we encourage all motorists to avoid driving in the zone when in operation. If driving in the zone, we ask that you do so at no more than 5mph.

We would 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.

E-mail: [email protected]

Parents or carers dropping children at school are not eligible for an exemption, unless you or your child are a Blue Badge holder or a resident of the School Street zone. We are pleased that parents at our existing Bristol School Streets schools 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 aims to encourage and prioritise a safe environment around schools to allow for walking, cycling and scooting. Parents and carers who feel they need to drive will need 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. We are also looking at identifying suitable park and stride locations, enabling parents and carers to park slightly further away from the school and walk the remaining distance.

Evidence suggests that where School Streets have been implemented, the result is a reduction in car use rather than displacement to surrounding streets. We will continue to monitor the impact of the scheme now it has been implemented.

Johnsons Road, Jonsons Lane, and Woodcroft Avenue should be visibly calmer and feel safer during these times. Data has been collected before the scheme was implemented and will be monitored as the measures are in place. The change in traffic levels, parking surveys, how pupils travel to school and feedback from the local community will be used to measure the success of the scheme.