Romsey Councillors have spoken out in favour of an extension of the temporary traffic closures which have been in place at St Philips C of E Primary School, on Vinery Way since 2020.

Local councillors have praised the 18-month trial which is shortly due to end, for improving road safety and encouraging more children to walk and cycle to school. Cambridgeshire county councillors will decide whether to allow the road closures to remain and a petition has been launched to gather support.

The closures, which for St Philip’s are in three locations around the school on Vinery Way and Vinery Road, run by a volunteer group of parents and local residents. St Bede’s Inter-Church School and St Matthew’s Primary School in Cambridge are also part of the national School Streets scheme and signed up 12 months ago.

Romsey City Councillor, Cllr Dinah Pounds, said:

“Like so many residents in Romsey, I have been deeply impressed by the incredible community spirit which has resulted in parents and residents coming together and taking the initiative to develop this first-of- its-kind scheme in Cambridge. These measures are primarily focused on improving safety for our children going to school. I have been down to see the restrictions for myself and have seen first-hand, how much calmer the road outside the school is during school opening and closing times and how much safer it is as a result.”

She added,

“I would like to pay tribute to the parents involved and lend my full support to extending this scheme citywide. As the Lead Councillor for cycling and walking, I am very keen to see this trailblazing scheme extended to other schools, so that they too can reap these benefits- which not only makes it safer for our school children to get to and from school but which also encourages children from a young age to regularly walk and cycle.”

Romsey County Councillor, Cllr Neil Shailer commented:

“In Cambridge, there are known hotspots of poor air quality with education establishments particularly impacted during the school run. A recent report into School Streets in London showed that closing roads to motor vehicles at pick-up and drop-off times resulted in a significant cut in toxic fumes and we also know that children are more vulnerable to breathing in polluted air than adults as they breathe more air each minute compared to adults. This measure will have had a huge impact in ensuring cleaner air for our children and I would like to see this continue.”

He further added,

“As a member of the Transport and highways committee, I am committed to supporting active travel and also ensuring we prioritise road safety in our area including near our schools. The decision as to whether these measures will be extended will be considered by County Council.”

Local resident and parent Graeme Hodgson said:

“Being a parent volunteer on the School Streets project every school day for the past 18 months has meant not only protecting our children from dangerous drivers speeding down Vinery Road as a short cut but has also led to an even stronger sense of community amongst parents, guardians, teachers and local residents, most of whom strongly support the traffic reduction measures. I have noticed many more parents interacting outside the school gates after leaving their cars at home and walking or cycling to school with their children instead. Other parents have said they feel more confident allowing their young children to walk or cycle to school alone knowing they won’t have to cross a busy road. I am grateful our local councillors are supporting our efforts to ensure these measures can remain in place permanently.”