Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport (and Deputy Leader of the Council) considered the report which reported on the impact of five School Streets introduced under experimental traffic orders (ETOs) made on the following dates:

·         Coleridge Primary School Street (SS21) made on 20 August 2021

·         Earlham Primary School Street (SS22) made on 20 August 2021

·         The Mulberry Primary School Street (SS23) made on 20 August 2021

·         Harris Primary Academy Coleraine Park School Street (SS07) made on 1 April 2021, subsequently revoked with a new ETO made on 23 November 2021

·         Harris Academy Tottenham School Street (SS08) made on 11 March 2022

The statutory objections made in response to the ETO consultations, as well as other feedback received were also noted.

The Cabinet Member drew attention to the data and evaluation for School Streets, as set out in section 6 of the report and the appendices.

RESOLVED to

1.         Note the outcome of the trial/experimental period of the five School Streets, as detailed in the Monitoring Report (Appendix A of the report);

2.         Consider the objections to each School Street (Appendix B of the report) and officer’s responses to the themes raised (Appendix C of the report);

3.         Approve the making permanent of all ETOs associated with the five School Streets shown in the plans contained in Appendix A4 of the report, subject to the outcome of any statutory traffic order procedures.

Reasons for decisions

As set out in Haringey Council’s School Streets Plan^[1] and subsequent delegated authority decisions, the Council agreed to implement five School Streets (shown in the plans contained in Appendix A4) using experimental traffic orders (ETOs).

The procedures for an ETO are defined by legislation^[2].  An ETO can last for a maximum of 18 months and involves a 6-month statutory consultation that commences from the date that the order comes into effect. It runs concurrently with the commencement of the scheme.  After 6 months (but before 18 months has expired), the Council must decide whether to revoke the ETO, amend the ETO (and invoke another 6-month consultation window) or make the order, and thus the scheme, permanent.

The use of ETOs has enabled the swift implementation of School Streets. The decision to use ETOs was taken, in part, by a need to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and to support social distancing and reduce the risk of a damaging car-led recovery. ETOs have allowed the Council and the public to assess the schemes in operation, rather than try and predict their impact. Implementation using ETOs also encourages local residents who may otherwise be unaware of proposals to gain a sense of how well they think a scheme is working and provide feedback on that basis.

As the 6-month statutory consultation period has completed on all five School Streets, it is possible for the Council to take a decision on whether to make permanent the traffic orders associated with those School Streets.

The five School Streets under consideration in this report are shown in the plans contained in Appendix A4 and referred to as:

a)   Coleridge Primary School Street (SS21)

b)   Earlham Primary School Street (SS22)

c)   Harris Academy Coleraine Park Street (SS07)

d)   Harris Academy Tottenham School Street (SS08)

e)   The Mulberry Primary School Street (SS23)

The decision to make permanent the above five School Streets is based upon the evidence collected during the ETO period and the positive benefits that the School Streets have delivered in terms of:

                    i.    Reduced congestion and car use near schools

                   ii.   Reduced road danger and improved safety for pupils and parents/carers travelling to and from school

                 iii.    Encouraged active travel to schools

                 iv.    Improved air quality around schools

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing – i.e., let the experimental traffic orders lapse

This option was rejected as it would mean the Council would need to remove the infrastructure associated with the five School Streets listed in paragraph 3.5.

The Council would therefore fail to deliver on the motion passed by Full Council in March 2019, which set out a commitment to deliver School Streets at primary schools across the borough.

Failure to deliver these School Streets would be contrary to the objectives set out in the Borough Plan, the Transport Strategy, the Climate Change Action Plan and the Walking and Cycling Action Plan.

Extend the length of the experimental period before a decision is made.

This option was rejected because, if time runs out on the ETO, the default position is that the order lapses and is no longer enforceable. Alongside this, there is evidence from other School Streets projects that little would change or be gained within an extra 6-month time period (where possible).