School Streets programme 2021/2022 consultation results summary

 

Downs Infant School (Florence Place)

 

1.    The School Streets scheme at Downs Infant School was a holdover from the emergency programme that was included in the roster because the site had not yet had an opportunity to benefit from infrastructure improvements.

 

2.    A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included the installation of a swing gate and improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure on Florence Place.

 

3.    The formal consultation survey for the Downs Infant School Street scheme received 80 responses. 87.5% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 85.5% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at Downs Infants School.

 

4.    Following consultations, the design was finalised and implemented in Spring of 2022. As the closure at this site was already in operation and did not further modify the operation of traffic or parking the modifications did not require an additional Traffic Regulation Order. As of June 2023, the scheme remains in permanent full-time operation.

 

Downs Junior School (Grantham Road, Edburton Avenue)

 

5.    The School Streets scheme at Downs Junior School was a holdover from the emergency programme that was included in the roster because the site had not yet had an opportunity to benefit from infrastructure improvements.

 

6.    A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included the installation of a modal filter at the junction of Grantham Road and Edburton Avenue to prevent through traffic and rat-running on these roads. The traffic direction on the school gate sections of Grantham Road and Edburton Avenue were also changed to one-way in the west-bound and south-bound directions, respectively. Additionally, there were modifications made to improve the pedestrian infrastructure on Grantham Road and Edburton Avenue.

 

7.    The formal consultation survey for the Downs Junior School Street scheme received 128 responses. 73.4% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 62% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at Downs Junior School.

 

8.    Following consultations, the design was finalised. Due to the complex nature of the scheme design, the scheme was implemented on an ETRO (TRO-27-2022) on 26th September 2022. The initial six-month public comment period closed on 26th March 2023, and the scheme remains in full-time operation pending an ETS Committee decision. The full summary of public comments are detailed in Appendix 1.

 

Hove Junior School (School Road, Marmion Road)

 

9.    A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included the closure of School Road during school streets enforcement hours, traffic calming elements on School Road and its junction with Marmion Road, and improvements to pedestrian infrastructure on School Road.

 

10. The formal consultation survey for the scheme received 166 responses. 85.4% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 80.2% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at Hove Junior School.

 

11. The consultations revealed community concern about the impact the scheme would have on nearby West Hove Infant School on School Road. Further, the major residential development on School Road completed construction during this time which presented an opportunity to relocate permit parking bays on the road without reducing the parking supply. The design was thusly modified to expand the closure onto another segment of School Road and a segment of Marmion Road.

 

12. Due to the complex nature of the scheme design, the scheme was implemented on an ETRO (TRO-35-2022) on 03rd January 2023. As of June 2023, the initial six-month ETRO comment period is still ongoing. The results of the comment period and recommendations for the scheme will be presented at a later committee meeting.

 

Queens Park Primary School (Freshfield Place)

 

13. A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included closure of Freshfield Place during school streets enforcement hours, the discontinuation of four (4) permit parking bays to provide space for improvements to pedestrian infrastructure, and the introduction of a give-way point near the school gate.

 

14. The formal consultation survey for the Queens Park Primary School Street scheme received 81 responses. 80.2% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 80.2% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at Downs Junior School.

 

15. Following consultations, the design was finalised. Due to the complex nature of the scheme design, and uncertainty regarding the scope and timeline of nearby projects, the scheme was implemented on an ETRO (TRO-26-2022) on 15th August 2022. The initial six-month public comment period closed on 15thth February 2023, and the scheme remains in full-time operation pending an ETS Committee decision.

 

16. The successful roll-out of the School Streets scheme at Queens Park primary was frustrated by a breakdown in communication between school leadership and the School Streets project team primarily owing to the retirement of key members of school leadership. This has resulted in scheme that not currently reaching its full potential.

 

17. In the Spring of 2023, the School Streets project team has managed to successfully re-engage the new leadership at the school to begin planning coordinated efforts to raise awareness of the programme and improve its effectiveness. Crucially, the school has indicated that there may be a possibility of operating a physical closure at the site. As a result of this and other factors, the School Streets team is exploring the possibility of implementing a physical closure to enforce the motor vehicle traffic restrictions, as well as the potential for further supportive network design modifications in a future ETRO.

 

St. Marys Catholic Primary School (Vale Gardens)

 

18. A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included the closure of Vale Gardens during school streets enforcement hours, the installation of a swing gate and improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure at the junction of Vale Gardens and Church Road (A293).

 

19. The formal consultation survey for the St. Marys Catholic Primary School Street scheme received 25 responses. 84% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 84% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at St. Marys Catholic Primary School .

 

20. Following consultations, the design was finalised and implemented in Spring of 2022 on a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO-14-2022) alongside a modification of the citywide School Streets operation hours. The Traffic Regulation Order received only a single objection, but it related to the modification of citywide hours and not the installation of the St Mary’s scheme. As of June 2023, the scheme remains in permanent full-time operation.

 

Westdene Primary School (Barn Rise)

 

21. A concept design was drafted for public consultation that included the closure of the segment of Barn Rise that features the school gate during school streets enforcement hours, a reorientation of the directionality of Barn Rise and Bankside from bi-directional to one-way in the east/south bout direction, an introduction of double yellow lines to support the one-ways and the closure/removal of a northbound slip road connecting Barn Rise to Bankside. The design also included some traffic calming measures and improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure on both Bankside and Barn Rise.

 

22. The formal consultation survey for the Westdene Primary School Street scheme received 260 responses. 75.1% of respondents expressed support for the principle of School Streets as a way to support safer travel to school. 70.2% of respondents expressed support for the proposal at Westdene Primary School Street .

 

23. The consultations identified several key concerns regarding safety of pedestrians and people riding cycles that were not addressed in the initial concept, but were added to the design when it was finalised. This included addressing concerns regarding the safety of pedestrians crossing Dene Vale to access the school, and the necessity for cycle users to maintain bi-directional access to Barn Rise and Bankside. The design was thusly modified to include a widened crossing point with a give-way restriction on Dene Vale, and the addition of cycle counterflow signage on Bankside.

 

24. Due to the complex nature of the scheme design, the scheme was implemented on an ETRO (TRO-30-2022 and TRO-30a-2022) on 22nd November 2022. However, due to extensive delays in construction the scheme was not fully operational until January 2023. Owing to this, the initial comment period will remain open through June 2023. The results of the comment period and recommendations for the scheme will be presented at a later committee meeting.