Parents at two Hackney primary schools will be fined for dropping off their children by car.
St John the Baptist in Hoxton and Tyssen Community in Stamford Hill have both signed up to a trial that could see streets off-limits for school run traffic. People who actually live there will still be allowed to come and go as they please.
The aim is to make the roads safer for kids and cut pollution. Anyone flouting the ban will be caught on camera and billed up to £130.
St John the Baptist begins its trial in June with Tyssen following in September. The council has collected parents’ views and will now ask neighbours. But it will push ahead with the nine-month trials whatever their thoughts.
Nearly 70 per cent of parents at St John the Baptist opposed the measures in an online poll. One, who asked only to be named as Vera, said: “Many parents come from very far distances to pick their kids up. I don’t think they have been considered.
“The streets around here are pay and display parking so we will be charged whatever – either for driving on the school road or for parking on the streets round the corner.”
Another mother, Tinisha – who is disabled – said: “Parking outside the gates is the only way the school is accessible for me. This school never takes the parents into consideration when deciding these things.” The town hall said blue badge holders would still be able to access Crondall Street for dropping off and picking up their kids.
Tyssen head Jackie Benjamin said: “Our school has been working tirelessly to improve safety in Oldhill Street. At pick-up and drop-off times there are daily altercations and drivers will drive on the pavement to avoid traffic.”
Alarming CCTV footage released today shows no fewer than five drivers doing exactly that in the space of 90 seconds. It was taken one lunchtime in January, but the town hall says the incidents were far from isolated.
Jono Kenyon, co-ordinator for the Hackney Cycling Campaign, praised the plans. “The policy improves the environment, cuts dangers to children and reduces childhood obesity,” he said. “It’s win-win.”
A 2016 report revealed streets outside 27 Hackney primary schools breached EU limits for nitrogen dioxide emissions, with St John the Baptist among the worst.
The town hall said: “The consultation is due to start at the end of the month.
“Parents will be feeding back to the schools [during the trial] after the consultation period.”
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