School Street Restrictions To Be In Place For New Term |
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Cameras to enforce bans on cars around pick up and drop off times
Hounslow Council have issued a number of traffic orders which will allow them to enforce new school street restrictions in Chiswick in time for the start of term. The measures which include access and stopping restrictions are designed to discourage parents from dropping off and picking up their children. New arrangements are to apply in the vicinity of Chiswick School and local primaries Grove Park, Cavendish, St. Mary’s and William Hogarth. In some cases ANPR cameras will be enforcing the restrictions from which local residents and their visitors will be generally excluded. For Chiswick School camera enforced access restrictions will apply from 8.15am to 9.15am and between 2.45pm and 3.45pm, on Mondays to Fridays during school term time on Staveley Road. For William Hogarth School and St. Mary’s R.C. School there will be a restriction from its junction with Fraser Street to the south-easternmost extremity from 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm. The plans submitted with the traffic order give no indication of camera enforcement. For Grove Park School access restrictions will be in place on Grove Park Terrace, Nightingale Close and St Thomas Road which from 8.30am to 9.30am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm. This will mean that any vehicle without a permit from the council will not be able to drive the length of these roads at this times without risking a fine.
For Cavendish School, rather than access restrictions, Edensor Road is being made a Red Route for drop off and pick up times which means that merely stopping a car briefly to unload or pick up a passenger will make you liable to a fine. Unlike regular parking restrictions, Red Route contraventions can be enforced by camera. There will also be a restriction on the use of the access road at the rear of the shops which will be made one way. These restrictions apply from 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm.
All the orders will be in effect by 3 September at which time the council will be legally entitled to enforce the restrictions and issue fines. Unlike other traffic restrictions in the area, these measures have generally been welcomed by local councillors.
Resident only access restrictions would mean that residents' vehicles and residents' visitors would be permitted to enter the affected roads. Residents would not be exempt from the Edensor Road stopping restrictions. Residents can register their own and their visitors' vehicles free of charge. The council say there is no impact on traffic leaving the roads during the hours of operation. If you are expecting a visitor during the hours or restriction, you would ideally need to register them by letting the council know in advance using an online form which is not yet available. However, in the case of unplanned visitors, you will be allowed to register them with the council until the end of the same working day. Regular visitors such as carers would need to be registered once, and blue badge holders living in the area would also need to be registered. The council say, “While the need to register vehicles presents a slight inconvenience to residents, we have streamlined the process as much as possible, and made it free of charge. Feedback from existing schemes suggests the benefits greatly outweigh any inconvenience.” Any easily recognisable delivery vehicles (e.g. supermarket lorries) are excluded from PCN action. However, less obvious delivery vehicles should be registered via the e-form as these are harder for the cameras to identify. To prevent the driver from receiving a PCN, this should be done by the end of the working day on which the delivery was made. In the event that a delivery driver received a PCN, this can be challenged with evidence that a delivery was taking place at the time and the fine will be cancelled. Further information relating to permit holder eligibility can be found the council’s web site. The council is introducing these measures on an experimental basis within the borough as part of its School Streets programme. This concept is aimed at tackling problems associated with traffic around schools at drop-off and pick-up times, notably road safety concerns, poor air quality, and inconvenience to residents. School Street schemes aim to restrict motor traffic in the immediate vicinity of a school and reduce the use of private vehicles on the journey to and from school. These measures are initially being introduced on an experimental basis for a period between 6-18 months.
August 23, 2020 |