Plans for a new School Street in North London have been met with opposition over concern it will "cut off access" to a nearby Underground station.
Residents in South Kenton argue the scheme would result in a three-mile diversion for motorists, disproportionately impacting disabled and less mobile residents attempting to reach South Kenton Station.
Brent Council has put forward plans for a School Street around Harris Primary Academy in South Kenton. If approved after its current consultation phase, the scheme would restrict access for unauthorised vehicles to Norval Road, Spencer Road, Nathans Road, Abbotts Drive, and The Link during school drop-off and pick-up times.
The local authority claims the measures are designed “to create a positive impact” on air quality, promote physical activity, and improve road safety. However, a petition is calling on the council to rethink the design so it doesn’t “unnecessarily harm” the wider community.
A School Street, as defined by the council, is a road outside, or close to, a school where motorised traffic is restricted at specific times with the aim of making the area “safer, quieter, and less polluted for children and families” by reducing car volumes and encouraging walking and cycling.
The consultation, which is set to come to an end on Tuesday, outlines plans for restrictions on the roads between 8.15am and 9.15am and 2.30pm and 4pm from Monday to Friday during school term time. Residents who live within the zone, along with emergency vehicles, deliveries, taxis, and carers, would be exempt from the restrictions.
Brent Council notes: “These initiatives contribute not only to the immediate safety and well-being of children but also align with our broader objectives of fostering a healthier and more sustainable community. Through such measures, we aim to create a positive impact on air quality, promote physical activity, and improve road safety.”
The petition, which has more than 110 signatures so far, states: “We support making journeys to school safer for children. However, Brent Council’s current proposal goes much further than improving safety outside Harris Academy South Kenton. As designed, it would have significant consequences for the whole Sudbury Court estate by cutting off the principal vehicle approach to South Kenton Station and displacing traffic onto surrounding roads.”
Its creator, Peter Lee, suggests the alternative options for residents to access the station “are poor”. He claims using the other station entrance would require a driving diversion of around three miles and being dropped off outside the zone would mean a walk of approximately 500 metres – most impacting disabled or elderly residents.
The petition also suggests the scheme “risks making congestion worse, not better”, as closing the surrounding roads would likely “force more traffic” onto The Fairway and other nearby streets, as well as increasing pollution in these areas. It is calling for the council to consider “a smaller, more targeted scheme” – including formalising a one-way system on Spencer Road and Abbotts Drive and restricting the School Street scheme to just Spencer Road.
Mr Lee adds: “Such measures could be taken in an attempt to reduce unnecessary impacts on the wider Sudbury Court estate while preserving access to South Kenton Station. Children deserve safer journeys to school. Residents deserve access to their railway station. With better design, Brent Council can achieve both. But if it is not able to do this, then these plans should be dropped.”
Following the conclusion of the consultation, the results will be used to decide whether the proposals will be implemented.
