Moray’s School Streets to be made permanent
Two schools in Elgin are to have their pilot scheme to reduce traffic around schools made permanent.
Seafield and New Elgin Primary Schools took part in a pilot programme that closed the streets in the immediate vicinity to traffic for half an hour at school drop-off and pick-up times. Access was maintained for residents, emergency services and utility companies but the aim to make streets safer and encourage active travel has been hailed a success.
The number of pupils and parents walking, cycling and scooting to school increase in both areas with an almost 50% increase in pedestrians accessing the schools. The speed of traffic around New Elgin Primary dropped by over 12%, however the speed of traffic near Seafield Primary increased slightly by up to 2%.
Residents, parents and carers were invited to provide feedback on the pilots, which saw the common concern of non-compliance highlighted, as well as dispersal of traffic to other streets nearby.
Police Scotland support the initiative and carried out regular patrols of the area, handing out 28 fines and a number of warnings to motorists disobeying the closure.
Other schools in Moray are now eligible to apply for inclusion in future programmes, including the Park Smart initiative, which is currently being developed in Buckie alongside Police Scotland.
Chair of the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Graham Leadbitter, said: “There are some really useful experiences from these pilots that will help us to tackle issues, such as reducing traffic and speed further.
“Overall the experience at the two pilot schools has been positive, and the lack of incidents during this pilot period is encouraging. The increase in active travel by our young people is a clear indication that pupils and parents understand the importance of road safety.
“I’m grateful for the work of our transportation team, alongside great support from our schools, teachers, residents and Police Scotland as we all work together to make our school streets safer for our young people to take advantage of the opportunity to walk, cycle or scoot to school.”