School Street scheme - Print version

School Street schemes

School Street schemes limit the amount of motor traffic in streets surrounding schools for a short time at the start and end of the school day as well as making it easier to walk, cycle or wheel to school.

School Streets aim to reduce congestion and improve air quality in and around school gates and make the streets outside schools safer at the start and end of the school day. These measures can also help to address traffic and parking pressures and problems people living close to a school can experience due to school gate parking.

Currently, we try to reduce the impact of inappropriate parking by enforcing waiting restrictions and ‘School-Keep-Clear’ markings. Feedback from residents and communities has highlighted that these traditional measures are not always effective and we are looking at new ways of addressing the issues.

Issues associated with school traffic are not unique to Coventry, and over the last few years, School Streets have been rolled out at various locations across the country as an innovative way to address issues associated with school traffic and parking.

In addition to having the potential to improve road safety outside schools, the schemes also offer other benefits including, reducing air pollution, congestion and encouraging people to walk, cycle or wheel more.

It is normally the area nearest to the school gates that sees the most problems with parking, and it is expected that this scheme will disperse cars over a wider area than at present. Also, by making it safer for people to walk, scoot or cycle to school there should be fewer people feeling that they must drive for this journey.

For those who need to rely on the car and must drive to the school, you can continue to do so, but will need to park slightly further away and walk the last part of the journey.

We ask everyone to park responsibly, safely and to be considerate to residents when parking in the surrounding streets. Please ensure you are not parked on the pavement, blocking, or parked on or over a driveway.

The School Street will make it easier for pupils, parents, and carers with limited mobility to access the school by reducing traffic outside the school gates. Those holding valid Blue Badges needing to access a property within the restricted area will be able to apply for an exemption permit. Please note that existing parking restrictions still apply and you should avoid parking on these restrictions.

The schemes are installed, subject to the support of residents, using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which can stay in place for a maximum of 18 months. During this time, we will monitor and assess the impact of these changes and any objections to decide whether the scheme should be permanent. If the scheme is successful and supported by local people, it could become a permanent scheme.

School Street locations

Current School Street locations

• Templars Primary School - View a map of the zone [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41896/templars-primary-school-streets]

This was Coventry’s first School Street and it was introduced in February 2023 as an experimental traffic regulation order.

An evaluation of the first 12 months of the scheme is currently underway and will be used to inform whether the scheme is made permanent, amended, or revoked.

Proposed School Street locations

• Cardinal Wiseman School -View a map of the zone and sign locations [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41895/cardinal-wiseman-school-streets]
• Ravensdale Primary School - View a map of the zone and sign locations [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41886/ravensdale-school-street]
• Stanton Bridge Primary School - View a map of the zone and sign locations [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41888/stanton-bridge-school-streets]
• Southfields Primary School - View a map of the zone and sign locations [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/41887/southfield-primary-school-street]

These are proposed to be launched from the start of the new school year in September 2024. These will be introduced as an experimental traffic regulation order initially and will benefit both from the learning that has taken place following the introduction of the Knights Templar School Streets Scheme as well as changes in legislation which has improved how the restrictions that underpin a School Street operates and are managed outside of London.

Future School Street locations

If you think that your school would benefit from being part of a future phase (2025/26) of our School Streets scheme please ask the school to contact us at trafficmanagement@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:trafficmanagement@coventry.gov.uk] to register their interest.  

School Street restrictions

The restrictions operate Monday to Friday year-round and mean that most vehicles, including those driven by parents and carers at the schools where the restrictions are enforced will not be able to drive into the roads covered by the restrictions to drop off or pick up children during the periods that the restriction is in force. Parents who drive are asked to park nearby and walk the last part of their journey.

There are various exemptions to the restriction that permit certain traffic to use the roads during the period that the restriction is in force. These are intended to minimise the impact of the restriction on residents living within the zones and to support those with specific needs.

Vehicles already parked in the roads before the times of operation will be able to exit.

If you live on the streets affected, you will need a valid permit to drive on the roads and at the times listed.

School Streets are not restricted by physical barriers but rely on signage and monitoring cameras. Prominent gateway signage will be in place at the entrance and exit of the School Street areas, displaying the times the restriction is in force.

We are currently exploring the use of ANPR cameras to aid monitoring and compliance of the restrictions from the start of the new school year in September 2024. They may subsequently be used to enforce the restriction if compliance with the restriction is found to be poor.

At each entrance to a School Street road signs will be in place showing it is a Pedestrian and Cycle zone and the times it operates.

Every day, including school holidays, between the times shown below, no vehicles will be able to drive in or out of the School Streets zone unless they have a valid permit.

School Street enforcement

It is an offence to enter a School Street without a valid school street permit or exemption.

The Police can issue a £50 fixed penalty notice (FPN) fine to anyone caught driving in the zone when the restriction is in place.

The Council are currently exploring the use of new moving traffic contravention powers to monitor all our School Street locations with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. If evidence from these cameras show a consistent level of non-compliance with the restriction, cameras may be used for enforcement (after a minimum of six weeks monitoring and consultation has taken place).

If this option is taken, the fine for this offence would be £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. If the fine is ignored the penalty would increase. There would be a right of appeal if issues and you believed the PCN should not have been issued.

The transition to an enforcement camera system must be demand and evidence-led and requires the introduction and use of a virtual electronic permit system. It does however offer the potential to significantly aid the effectiveness of School Streets schemes and may help to meet the objectives of reducing traffic in and around the school gates and encouraging active forms of travel to school.

School Street permits

Permits are unique for each scheme, the road signs show which permit is required to be allowed into the School Street scheme when it is in operation.

All residents living in the streets listed above will need to apply for a permit. Currently, the Council operates a paper-based permit system where a maximum of three permits per household and three additional visitor permits can be applied for per house. As part of the recent changes in legislation we are exploring opportunities to enable us to issue virtual permits which will make it easier for residents to apply and be issued permits and aid the operation and enforcement of the scheme. Further details on the new system is available in our further information section and will be made available on this web page over the coming months.

Schools will also be provided with permits to allocate to staff and visitors who park on-site and need to access the school during the restriction periods.

Residents living on a School Street will be able to apply for a permit which will allow them to drive to and from their home during the restriction times. Permits will also be available to visitors and businesses working on or at a property within a school street.

Permit eligibility

The following, on submission of the required evidence, will be granted a School Streets Permit which will give a legal right to enter during the restricted times:

• all residents within the School Street scheme
• all businesses within the School Street scheme
• Blue Badge holders visiting a property or school within the School Street
• all school staff (coordinated via the Headteacher)
• Council operated home to school transport, including minibuses (coordinated with Transport Service)

If the above criteria does not apply to you, you may still be able apply for a short duration School Streets Permit if you are:

• Private Hire Taxis serving a property within the School Street
• healthcare workers including but not limited to Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, midwives, personal carers, and support workers
• delivery vehicles
• carrying out emergency structural repairs
• building and utility related works which cannot avoid the restricted times
• visitors to a residential property or business who visit during the restricted time and can’t park elsewhere

Exemption Permits are issued at the discretion of Coventry City Council Parking Services Team.

Applications should be made in advance and authorisation confirmed before accessing the School Street scheme area during the restricted times via the permit portal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/88/residents-permit-schemes/category/2301].

Visitors to School Streets

Visitors are generally asked to arrive outside the time the restriction is operating or to park outside the zone (and move once the restriction ends).

We ask that anyone living or working within a School Street to tell their visitors about the restrictions when visits are being planned. Visitors can then park on surrounding roads outside the School Street, or they can apply for exemption in advance or be provided with a visitor permit.

We know this is not always possible and so from September 2024 we intend to introduce an option to apply for a retrospective visitor permit up to 48 hours after a visit via the permit portal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/parking-travel-streets/school-street-permit-applications].

Amending or updating a permit

Permits are linked to vehicle registration numbers. Therefore, if you change your car you will need to update your permit.

All amendment requests should be submitted online via the permit portal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/88/residents-permit-schemes/category/2301].

School Street vehicle exemptions

People walking, scooting, using wheelchairs, mobility scooters and cycles (including adapted cycles) are not restricted and can continue to use the road. All other motor vehicles are restricted during the operating times except:

The following which will be automatically exempt (allowed) and will not require to apply for a permit:

• emergency vehicles
• Council bin crews
• road maintenance vehicles
• Royal Mail postal vehicles
• utility company vehicles
• Taxis (Hackney carriages only)
• local bus services
• school buses and coaches

In addition to vehicles automatically exempted from the restriction resident and visitor exemption permits can be applied for which when granted, permit the holder to drive a motor vehicle into the restriction when in force.

School Streets emergency access

For unforeseen events and emergencies, from September 2024 a retrospective application [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/88/residents-permit-schemes/category/2301] can be made via the permit portal up to 48 hours after you have entered a School Street during the restriction times.

The following information will be required for a retrospective permit to be issued:

• School Street you entered
• Date and time you entered
• Vehicle Registration Number that entered
• Reason for entering without exemption
• Proof of eligibility (i.e., service/delivery/job schedule confirming that you were visiting/servicing a property within a School Street restriction)

This may apply to taxi drivers, delivery drivers, emergency call outs, visitors etc. Notifications received by us later than the required 48 hours of entering the School Street scheme area will need to follow the statutory appeals process, if a Penalty Charge Notice is issued.

Appeal a Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/parking-enforcement/parking-bus-lane-bus-gate-enforcement/5].

School Street consultation and monitoring

School Streets are normally introduced on a trial basis using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, during the trial the scheme is monitored, and any issues reviewed before a decision is taken whether to make a scheme permanent. Residents, local businesses, and the school are consulted before a scheme is introduced and once a scheme goes live, further feedback is used to help inform the final decision as to whether to make the scheme permanent.

Once a scheme is live, a statutory 6 month objection period starts. During this period, we collect any feedback from residents, parents, school staff and the wider community which is used to decide if any amendments are required. Updates and information on how you can comment on a scheme will be made available on this School Streets website once the scheme goes live.

Scheme monitoring

We will undertake a range of measures to monitor and assess the School Street, which includes:

• monitoring cameras to access the level of compliance with the restriction
• traffic and pedestrian data to understand how the scheme is impacting travel behaviour and choices
• consultation feedback from residents, parents, and other stakeholders
• site observations
• school survey data in partnership with Living Streets.

A successful scheme should mean that the road is visibly quieter, safer, and cleaner during the times this is in place. We will collect data and capture feedback to identify if this has been achieved during the trial period.