School Street schemes in Surrey

Page contents

• What is a School Street scheme?
• Have your say on Potters Gate School Street, Farnham
• Exemptions
• Further information

What is a School Street scheme?

School Streets prioritise pedestrians and cyclists on roads outside schools by temporarily restricting most motor traffic from entering the roads during pick-up and drop-off times. Parents and carers are asked to either walk, scoot or cycle with their children to school or to park a little further away and walk the last few minutes of their journey.

The main aim of a School Street is to reduce the amount of traffic on streets around a school.

They help tackle congestion and improve air quality at the school gates, making it easier and safer to walk and cycle to school. They create a more pleasant environment for everyone, while making sure residents and business owners located within the street, pedestrians and cyclists can still use the road.

The road will temporarily become a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone at set times in the morning and afternoon. Vehicles are not permitted to enter the 'zone' between these times unless they have been granted an exemption for their vehicles. Signs inform drivers of the restrictions at the entrance of the closed road.

Have your say on Potters Gate School Street, Farnham

Our proposal is to install a School Street on Potters Gate and Beavers Road, Farnham. We want to create a safer, healthier, and more pleasant environment for everyone. Other School Streets benefits are less traffic, cleaner air, and the removal of inconsiderate and illegal parking, resulting in a safer, healthier, and more pleasant environment for everyone.

Please have your say by 10 January 2025

Have your say (Commonplace)

Exemptions

The following vehicles will be exempt from the restrictions and permitted to enter or leave the school street during the operating times. Exemptions will be free of charge and drivers must provide their registration details to receive an exemption. Details will be shared soon on how to apply for exemption.

• Residents
• Blue Badge holders – parents/carers/children dropping off and picking up their children
• School transport providers
• Carers and healthcare workers who provide care/support to residents within the School Street

The School Street scheme should not affect how you receive your care and therefore the help provided to you is exempt from the scheme. Designated and voluntary carers, including NHS key workers of residents living within the School Street can access the zone where necessary to facilitate caring work. So that an exemption can be assigned the individual or a representative of the organisation they represent should apply for an exemption.

Exemptions are also assigned to informal carers (often family members) enabling them to continue to care for a resident as they normally would. When applying, we ask that a carers exemption application form (complete with the name and address of the resident who requires care) is completed by the individual acting as an informal carer.

The form should also be accompanied by proof of the resident's address and a copy of the carer's V5C vehicle logbook, and a letter or email from the resident's GP confirming that they require care. We accept the following as proof of address:

• Council tax demand for the last 12 month period
• Rent agreement for the last 12 month period
• A solicitor's letter showing the house purchase completion date
• A utility bill dated within 2 months and showing the residents name and address
• Drivers license clearly showing name and address.

Automatic exemptions

The following vehicles are automatically exempt:

• Emergency vehicles
• Refuse bin lorries
• Royal Mail vehicles
• Utility companies (statutory undertakers)

An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera will be installed on the street to check the vehicles that enter and exit during the period of operation. Vehicles entering the School Street zone during its operational hours without a registered exemption will receive a penalty charge notice (PCN). For the first 6 months of operation a letter of warning will be issued to non-exempt vehicles entering the School Street zone during times of operation, if they repeat the offence a second time, a penalty notice of £70 will be issued (£35 if paid within 21 days).

Deliveries

Deliveries will need to happen outside of the school street-controlled times, meaning all delivery vehicles will have to abide by the restrictions and will not be exempt from receiving a PCN.

We ask residents to schedule deliveries to arrive outside the restricted times.

However, in the following circumstances, a Temporary Exemption can be granted by using our online exemption form

• Planned tradesperson/contractors serving properties within the School Street
• Contractors for properties moving from/into the School Street
• Emergency deliveries (i.e. refrigerated or timed medication)

Applications for a temporary exemption must be made before 4pm the day before access is required (if this falls on a Monday, applications must be received by 4pm the previous Friday).

Proof of eligibility can include an invoice or job schedule to confirm delivery time and address.

Details will be shared soon on how to apply for temporary exemption.

Further information

How a School Street works

School Streets temporary restrict vehicle access on a road outside schools, creating pedestrian and cycle zones during the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times. During these set times, only vehicles with an exemption will be permitted to enter the zone. Signage will be displayed at each entry and closure point informing drivers of the timed restrictions in place.

Times of operation for the School Street zone

Each school street will have different times of operations depending on the local school timings. A School Street will operate from Monday to Friday during term-time. School Streets do not operate during school holidays or at weekends.

The proposed operating times for Farnham Heath End School Street are 8am to 9.15am and 2.15pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, term-time only.

Movement of vehicles already in the School Street when it is in operation

Vehicles already parked in the School Street before the times of operation will be able to exit. During the operating times any vehicles are advised to travel at walking pace for everyone's safety.

Using a courtesy or hire car

We ask residents to ensure they keep the council updated with the details of any new or different vehicles they are using. Residents will need to provide evidence that the vehicle is for their use, for example a rental agreement, lease or insurance information.

Impact of the School Street zone on local traffic

The total volumes of traffic near to the school are expected to decrease during drop-off and pick-up times as it will become easier to walk, scoot or cycle rather than drive. There will also be less through-traffic. Although residents may notice increased parking on other roads outside of the School Street during the controlled hours, the amount of vehicles parked in the School Street should decrease.

Where there is no option except driving to school

The objective of the School Street is to make the school run safer, healthier, and more enjoyable for the whole community, as well as for children travelling to school. It is not intended to penalise parents who need to use their car for the school run. For those who rely on the car to take children to school, they can park slightly further away and walk the last part of the journey.

Signage in the School Street

At each entry and exit point to the School Street there will be two 'No Motor Vehicles' traffic signs together with a 'School Street Plate' to inform people of the restrictions.

Advanced warning signs will be put up on all surrounding roads to indicate that there is no way through for motor traffic at school opening and closing times. A campaign of flyers and letters will notify residents, parents, school staff and local businesses when the School Street launches. A social media campaign will also be part of the launch. We will notify satellite navigation providers so that the School Street is visible on their systems.

We ask the school and anyone living within the School Street zone to tell visitors about the restrictions when visits are being planned.

Monitoring the School Street

We will undertake a range of measures to monitor the School Street. These include:

• Traffic counts to measure vehicle levels before and after School Street implementation
• Surveys to measure how children are travelling to school before and after implementation
• Consultation feedback
• Safety audits before and after implementation
• Safety reviews after implementation and settling of the scheme
• Penalty charge notice data