Parents and carers will be “discouraged” from driving to drop off or pick up their children from around three schools in Southport.
Sefton Council is developing its ‘School Streets’ initiative as part of its drive to encourage more people of all ages to take up cycling and walking and “remove road danger” from the areas around schools.
The three sites affected will be: Greenbank High School, Hastings Road, in Birkdale; Birkdale High School, Windy Harbour Road, in Birkdale; and Stanley High School, Fleetwood Road, in Marshside.
The council has been awarded £90,000 in funding to progress the scheme through the Department for Transport’s ‘Gear Change’ initiative with the grant due to be divided equally between the three schools.
Exact details on how the scheme will operate have not yet been revealed.
Last year Sefton declared a ‘Climate Emergency’ and installed pop-up cycle lanes in Southport town centre in its bid to remove traffic and reduce the carbon footprint.
The proposals will be discussed at the Sefton Public Engagement and Consultation Panel meeting this Friday (15 January).
In his report to councillors, Sefton Council Principal Officer – Policy and Sustainable Travel Lee Davies said: “One of the proposals within Gear Change is the development of ‘School Streets’ to help to discourage parents driving to school to drop off children through the temporary closure of streets, during drop off and pick up times or other measures that will remove road danger from the areas around the school.”
Sefton Council is also proposing to extend the Southport Walking and Cycling Route north towards Crossens and Churchtown and south towards Birkdale with the aim of connecting it to Greenbank High, Birkdale High and Stanley High.
The next stage of scheme development will be for discussions to be held with the headteachers of each school to identify current problems and discuss potential solutions.
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