Image: Gary Manhine/Hackney Council
More secondary school students in Hackney will see School Streets introduced from this year, under plans to support older children to walk and cycle to school.
Earlier this month, Hackney Council launched its 49th School Street at Mossbourne Riverside Academy in the Olympic Park and expanded the School Street at the Olive School, with 88% of the borough’s primaries now benefitting from a School Street.
School Streets ban traffic from outside schools for an hour in the morning and afternoon to tackle pollution and help children walk and cycle to school – with only local residents and some school buses allowed to pass through.
From this summer, the council will start to roll out School Streets to remaining primaries, secondaries and independent schools, bringing the borough’s total to 60 School Streets by 2025.
At those already introduced, the number of children walking and cycling is up from 61% to 69%, with tailpipe emissions down by 74%.
Cllr Mete Coban MBE, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “School Streets are a crucial part of our plan to tackle air pollution and get more children walking and cycling.
“It was great to join parents and children at Mossbourne Riverside Academy this week to see the transformation outside their school, with so many parents and children now leaving the car at home.
“We’re really proud to be launching this next phase of our School Street programme, which will help thousands more children to get to school safely.”
28 February 2023