On 25 October, and every Friday in November, Vicarage Lane outside the school will be closed to traffic – except for residents, blue badge holders, delivery drivers, and if needs be, emergency vehicles. The closure will just be at the beginning and end of the school day.
The goal of these road closures is twofold: to create a safer, less congested environment for those walking or wheeling to school, and to reduce the negative impacts of poor air quality and carbon emissions associated with car travel.
Headteacher Helen Britten explains:
“Vicarage Lane is very narrow and not suited for parents driving right up to the school gates. Drivers sometimes mount the kerb in an attempt to pass other vehicles, which creates a dangerous situation for those on the pavement.
“Residents have also expressed concerns about the congestion and hazards caused by school-run traffic. By closing the road to school traffic, we aim to create a safer, healthier environment for our children while contributing to net zero goals and improved air quality.
“Our road closure on National Clean Air Day was a great success, and it has inspired us to trial Fume-Free Fridays in November with the long-term aim of creating a car-free culture around our school.”
Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Alex Dale, said:
“We’re always pleased to hear about new initiatives Derbyshire schools are taking, as we can then share them with other schools. Parking and road safety problems around schools are a key challenge we face across the county. That’s why we’ve set up a cross-party working group to explore options to try to reduce these problems, and support schools like William Gilbert with pilot projects like this.
“Encouraging more parents and carers to look at walking and wheeling to school is definitely part of the solution and has wider benefits to our health, air quality and keeping us all safe by reducing congestion and the likelihood of accidents at peak times.
“We wish William Gilbert Primary all the best with their Fume-Free Fridays, and look forward to visiting to see how it all goes in November.”
The school, which was recently awarded “Very Good” Modeshift STARS accreditation for its travel plan, has already taken significant steps towards promoting eco-friendly travel. These include installing cycle and scooter parking, hosting Scooter Smart sessions to encourage safe and courteous use of scooters and participating in national campaigns such as the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, National Clean Air Day, Modeshift TravelWise Week, and Travel Smart Week.
In addition, the school has trialled voluntary car-free days and a temporary road closure, along with a handful of other schools, to encourage more active travel. This initiative considers those who travel by car by asking them to park away from the school and walk the remaining distance from designated Park and Stride locations.