Does Heswall and district need 'School Streets'? They're being trialled in Wirral starting next month

Parking near local schools often inspires lively interactions, so what do readers make of this?

A new trial project, intended to help make the school run safer, healthier and happier for children, families and the wider community by closing roads at key times, starts in Wirral next month.

Wirral Council is working with three schools to trial the 'School Street' scheme.

A School Street is a stretch of road outside a school that is temporarily closed to traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. Some vehicles will be exempt, but it will reduce the build-up of traffic outside the school gates and create a predominantly car-free zone to improve safety and air quality by encouraging walking, scooting or cycling.

The three schools to be trialled will be:

- Greenleas Primary School, Wallasey

- Liscard Primary School, Liscard

Greenleas Primary School will be the first school to launch the scheme in November. The other schools will follow in the new year, 2022.

Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee at Wirral Council, said: "This project is one that will help to address safety concerns, create a calmer environment where people can feel confident cycling and walking, and improve air quality by reducing congestion around school gates.

"Many families have already made changes to the way they travel, including on the journey to school, and this project will enable even more people to adopt healthier and more active ways of travelling."

Residents and families will be invited to share their views about the School Street scheme once the trials start. All feedback provided in the first six months will help the council to decide if it is working for the school and the local community and if it will achieve the goals of creating a calmer environment, improving safety, reducing traffic build-up and improving air quality.

The schools trialling the scheme may operate slightly differently to each other to help decide which method works best, but all will have a dedicated Active Travel Officer to help introduce and support the School Street.

The scheme will be delivered through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which could be in place for up to 18 months until a decision is made on whether the road closures for the School Street will be made permanent.