Installation of three new 'school streets' across Haringey agreed

Two schools in Tottenham and one in Bounds Green will see new traffic restrictions introduced to boost road safety for children, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A 'school street' in Tottenham — An existing ‘school street’ in Tottenham

Haringey Council has agreed to implement three new ‘school streets’.

Schemes designed to reduce traffic at certain times of the school day will be introduced outside St Francis de Sales RC Infant and Junior School, Bounds Green Infant and Junior School, and Welbourne Primary School.

Both informal and statutory consultations have taken place for each of the proposed school streets and the council said it had also worked with school staff on the designs.

Results from informal consultations, which took place between 2023 and 2024, showed around 80% of respondents for the proposed St Francis de Sales school street were against the plan.

The other two projects were more popular with around 50% of respondents voicing support for the Welbourne Primary School scheme and Bounds Green scheme.

Discussing the schemes at a cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday 17th), cabinet member for culture and leisure, Emily Arkell, asked how the objections had been addressed and what support would be in place for residents once the schemes were implemented.

Mike Hakata, cabinet member for climate action, environment, and transport, said a lot of objections were around “access issues”.

He said residents on Tredegar Road and Park Road, which are near Bounds Green Infant and Junior School, were concerned they would have to drive on the neighbouring Palace Road, increasing traffic there.

Cllr Hakata said: “What we have agreed to do, and it’s something we do on all of our school streets, is monitoring before, during and after implementation.

“We will have enhanced monitoring and really check on access. We’re hoping we’re going to see, as we do in many of our other school streets, a reduction in traffic anyway.

“Also, a lot of people have concerns, but once they have a school street, they realise it doesn’t impact them as much. But we will be taking all of the views and making sure we monitor and give feedback to residents. “

Cabinet member for resident services and tackling inequality, Seema Chandwani, asked how the council would monitor driving on the schemes’ neighbouring roads, adding that for residents who had to potentially face more drivers it was “really unfair”.

She also asked how the council was monitoring modal shifts in travel and how the council was encouraging more walking, cycling and use of public transport.

Cllr Hakata said systems weren’t “necessarily going to be perfect” but said the key was whether they addressed issues. He added the council would look at ways to refine and improve the schemes.

Barry Francis, corporate director of environment and resident experience, reiterated the schemes were monitored once implemented “to ensure they are working effectively”.

He added their design was based on where the schools were located, the size of the local area, and the position of the school gates.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.