Haringey councillors have signed off on a plan that will almost treble the number of School Streets in the borough to 61.
The London borough currently has 23 School Streets in place. These prohibit vehicles without exemption permits from driving in the immediate vicinity of a school.
The new scheme will lead to the roll out of 38 new School Streets covering 58 educational establishments over the next three years.
Evidence cited by the local authority shows a 42% reduction in traffic across existing School Streets schemes in the borough, as well as vehicle emissions (NOx) down by 26%.
Cllr Mike Hakata, deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, said: ‘The evidence is clear that children benefit from being able to walk, wheel or cycle to school in cleaner air and safer streets.
‘The school run makes up around 25% of all traffic and is why those times are most congested. For those without access to a car, which in our borough is the majority, that means getting to and from school is the most dangerous time of the day.
‘School Streets both reduce road danger and incentivise healthier ways to get to school. With 35% of Year 6 children in Haringey classed as overweight or obese, this can go a long way in addressing health inequalities.’
If this story was of interest, check out our feature, 'Cleaner air for those that need it most'.
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