Parents will be banned from driving children to school gates under new closure plans – The Sun



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ROADS may be temporarily closed during school operation as part of new coronavirus blocking plans.

Measures are being developed to prevent overcrowding at school doors and encourage more walking and cycling, as well as air pollution.

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    Roads in urban areas could be temporarily closed to reduce stagnation at school (file image)

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Roads in urban areas could be temporarily closed to reduce stagnation at school (file image)Credit: Getty – Contributor

London and Manchester already have some plans in place and other cities are expected to follow.

London Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman told The Observer: “It will mean time restrictions on traffic around schools to allow people to safely walk to school, bike to school, go to school

“I don’t care if they’re in space bins as long as it’s not in a car.

“It should reduce the amount of traffic to allow students and parents to walk safely.”

He added: “The last thing we want is for children and their parents to enter a busy street or see increasing air quality problems in schools.

“So that [temporary closure of roads twice a day] It is going to have to be something that schools and local authorities plan and I want all schools and councils to analyze it urgently. ”

Local councils will decide how long the temporary road closures around the schools will last and how they would work.

Transportation chiefs are concerned that if more people choose to use their cars for the school career after closure restrictions are eased, there will be stagnation in urban areas and increased levels of pollution around schools, creating health problems.

The move comes after Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps announced a £ 2 billion plan “to put cycling and walking at the center of our transportation policy.”

A national cycling plan will be released in early June in an attempt to help double cycling and increase walking by 2025.

Plans include pop-up bike lanes, wider pavements, and bike and bus lanes.

Trials of e-scooters must also be accelerated to launch rental schemes in urban areas.

According to the newspaper, more than 200 million car trips of less than 1 km are made each year, many of which run at school.

Graham Stapleton, chief executive of Halfords retail chain, said he supported calls for trials on e-scooters.

“We appreciate the reports of an upcoming government announcement of rapid follow-up trials of e-scooters and believe that if this is true, it will in some way contribute to establishing a legal and regulatory framework that means they can be used legally on our roads.” There is overwhelming public support for the trials. “

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “To help mitigate the impact of greatly reduced capacity on public transport due to social distancing, we will need millions of daily trips by other means.

“If people switch only a fraction of these car trips, London is at risk of stopping, air quality will worsen, and danger on the road will increase.

“Modeling has shown that there is a possibility of a tenfold increase in kilometers traveled by bicycle and up to five times the amount of walking.

“Our Streetspace plan will act as a catalyst for this change, rapid follow-up schemes that will allow many more people to take two wheels or travel on foot.”

    Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday announced the £ 2 billion plan to boost cycling and walking.

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps yesterday announced the £ 2 billion plan to boost cycling and walking.Credit: Crown Copyright
    Will Norman said measures to restrict cars would allow people to walk safely to school.

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Will Norman said measures to restrict cars would allow people to walk safely to school.
    The Mayor of London said measures to increase walking and cycling were necessary to compensate for reduced capacity on public transport due to social distancing.

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The Mayor of London said measures to increase walking and cycling were necessary to compensate for reduced capacity on public transport due to social distancing.Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Deputy chief medical officer says reopening schools while socially distancing children will be “thorough”

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