Trafford’s biggest and longest-running School Street is coming up to three years of keeping children and young people safe, and breathing cleaner air, on their way to and from school.
Urmston School Street serves 1,800 pupils at three schools – Urmston Primary School and English Martyrs, plus Urmston Grammar School, as well as a private nursery.
Its success is down to a team of loyal volunteers including residents, parents and Trafford councillors who have put in 1,600 hours of their free time to help so far.
Volunteers include Georgia Knight, 16, who is working towards a Duke of Edinburgh Award. She turns out with her mum, Sherry, in all weathers to marshal the roadblocks. They are pictured here.
Georgia said:
"I enjoy volunteering as I have grown up going to school on the School Street and I know how busy it used to be. It's great to see more parents and children able to scoot, cycle and walk to school, without worrying so much about traffic."
The School Streets programme, organised by Trafford Council, One Trafford Partnership and Trafford Community Collective, involves temporary barriers and signs around schools.
These restrict motorised traffic at drop-off and pick-up times, to encourage pupils and families to walk or cycle, in a calm, pleasant and safer environment, with reduced air pollution and congestion. Only exempt vehicles can access the road during these times, including emergency vehicles, residents and blue badge holders.
Urmston’s School Street – the only one of the seven School Streets in Trafford to serve more than one school – got a boost in January last year when the Council launched the Park and Stride scheme, with free parking at Golden Hill Car Park at school run times, to support parents who need to drive.
Nearly 3,000 pupils in Trafford are now benefiting from School Streets. Any Trafford school can ask to be considered for the scheme, which receives funding from Transport for Greater Manchester.
Cllr Stephen Adshead, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Environmental and Traded Services, said:
“School Streets are hugely popular and it’s clear to see why. They tie in with the Council’s priorities to provide a great start in life to children and young people in the borough, to address climate change and facilitate healthy and independent lives for all residents.
“Urmston’s School Street was the first to be set up by the partnership and has been a great example to all that have followed. School Streets do not run themselves – they take a lot of planning and organising, and a willingness among volunteers to keep coming back. All credit must go to the community in keeping this great initiative going.”
For more information email hannah@traffordcollective.org.uk.