School road closures begin after safety concerns

Reading now has six School Streets, covering 10 schools

Two streets have begun closing to traffic during peak times in a bid to make the area safer for schoolchildren in a town.

Exbourne Road and Great Knollys Street in Reading, Berkshire, are being blocked off during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times as part of the School Streets scheme.

First introduced in 2020, the borough council initiative will be trialled in the areas for six months.

The roads are near Civitas Academy, Geoffrey Field Infant School, Geoffrey Field Junior School and Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School.

The scheme involves closing the road outside a school for up to 45 minutes

Plans for the streets to trial the scheme were discussed by Reading Borough Council in June.

Informal consultations with neighbours and parents showed "support" for the plans, it said.

At the end of the six-month experimental period, a decision will be made as to whether to make them permanent.

It is hoped the project will encourage more pupils to walk, cycle or scoot to school, while reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality.

Reading now has six School Streets covering 10 schools, including eight primary schools and two secondary schools.

'Intense' traffic

Vehicles now have restricted access to Great Knollys Street between 08:30 - 09:00 and 14:55 - 15:40 BST, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Meanwhile, Exbourne Road is shut between 08:20 - 09:05 and 14:50 - 15:30 BST.

Residents who live within the affected areas still have full access during the closures, including for visitors and deliveries.

Headteachers of Geoffrey Field Infant School, Geoffrey Field Junior School and Christ the King Roman Catholic Primary School said they had shared safety concerns "for some time".

In a joint statement, they said: "Exbourne Road is a narrow, no-through road and the traffic at the beginning and end of the school day can be very intense.

"We've all had comments from parents and residents about the risks that this poses to the children as well as parents, carers and staff."

It had been a "lovely example" of schools collaborating with the community for the benefit of all the children, they added.