Five more schools to trial car number plate cameras

The ANPR cameras will operate only during set drop-off and pick-up times on school days

Five Oxfordshire schools will introduce automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras outside their gates to reduce the volume of traffic during drop-off and pick-up times.

The schools are Manor Primary in Didcot and four in Oxford, St Mary and St John CE Primary, Sandhills Community Primary, Tyndale Community (Primary) and New Hinksey CE Primary.

They have been trialling the School Streets concept, which is part of Oxfordshire County Council's Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.

It involves timed road closures, with pop-up gates operated by volunteers.

The decision was made at a cabinet member meeting on Thursday.

The local authority said the ANPR cameras would be installed at entry points during October and November, to help operate the scheme without reliance on a volunteer team.

The cameras will operate only during set drop-off and pick-up times on school days.

The council said a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70 might be issued to vehicles that enter the school street zone during operational times.

Some vehicles are exempt from this charge.

Any vehicle already within the zone at the start of its operational times will not receive a PCN.

Previously, parents and teachers said the area outside Manor Primary was dangerous at pick-up and drop-off times.

Conservative county councillor in Didcot, Ian Snowdon, pushed for the state-funded school to be added to the next phase of School Streets.

Nine schools in Oxfordshire will now be part of the scheme.

Larkrise, St Ebbe’s and Windmill schools in Oxford and St Nicolas school in Abingdon were the first in the county to successfully implement the scheme permanently. They trialled volunteer-led pop-up gates before progressing to ANPR use.

Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management, said the scheme was a "very effective way" to help towards safer school days.

The council said that residents and businesses in the chosen locations would receive letters on when the cameras would become operational and how to apply for their vehicle exemptions.

More information is also available on its school street webpages.