Bradley Barton Primary in Newton Abbot has made more space outside its gates at pick up and drop off time as pupils have returned to school.
School Streets make more space for children to get to school safely.
The School Streets scheme restricts motor traffic at specific times during drop off and pick-up times during the week, to make more space for social distancing during the school run.
The school is delivering the scheme in partnership with Sustrans and Devon County Council.
The first of three Devon schools
Bradley Barton Primary is one of three schools in Devon that will be delivering School Streets during the new school term.
They are being funded through a grant from the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel Fund.
Julie Barton, Headteacher at Bradley Barton Primary, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming back all our pupils this week to start the new school year. We have really missed our families since school’s closure due to Covid in March.
“The safety of our pupils, their families and the wider community is always our first priority.
“Bradley Barton School is delighted to be one of the first schools in Devon introducing the first School Streets scheme.
“We hope that in addition to being a great way to encourage social distancing at busy drop off and collection times, that it will also encourage more families to benefit from walking and cycling to school.”
Space for families to get to school safely
James Cleeton, Director for the south of England at Sustrans, said:
“We’re really pleased to see Devon County Council and schools taking the initiative to put School Streets in place.
“These schemes will help to give families the space they need to get to school safely.
“As a road free from vehicles could typically gain an extra seven-metre wide space for pedestrians, maintaining physical distancing at busy school run times will become much easier.
“Previous School Streets schemes have proved beneficial for road safety and air quality. And they create a cleaner, more pleasant environment outside the school.
“In turn, School Streets increase the likelihood that children will walk or cycle to school instead of being dropped off in a car, so they experience the benefits that active travel brings to their health and wellbeing.”
Well done Bradley Barton Primary
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said:
“Well done to Bradley Barton Primary for taking a lead in Devon on this great initiative.
“The School Streets scheme claims back some of the streets outside the school gates during the times of the school-run to make it a much nicer and safer place for families to walk and cycle their children to school.”
