School roads closures in Southampton criticised

Cutbush Lane, outside Townhill Junior School, is one of the School Streets

A scheme to close streets at school drop-off and pick-up times is "displacing problems", critics have claimed.

Nineteen Southampton schools are taking part in School Streets, aimed at improving safety outside schools.

Campaigner Andrew Pope said residents had complained about bad parking and speeding.

Townhill Junior School deputy headteacher Nick Humphries said it was "overwhelmingly positive".

As part of the Hampshire-wide scheme, in Southampton, there are currently three permanent School Streets, 10 in being trialled and six more that will shortly begin the first full term of their trial.

Mr Pope, a former councillor, disputed Southampton City Council figures that "80% of residents" supported the scheme.

"Limiting access to one road is simply displacing the problems to another.

"All I'm seeing are schemes from the council that pretend to address the real issues but are bringing Southampton to a standstill when we already have the worst traffic lights, terrible roads and dirty air.

'Dangerous effect'

One resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she almost had a head-on crash with a driver diverted from a closed street.

She said: "We are finding it [a road closure on English Road] is having a dangerous effect in Kingsley Road because traffic is diverting through Empire Road onto Kingsley Road," she said.

However, the council said that the programme was "hugely popular with children and their families, to help them actively travel to school by foot, bike or wheel by removing traffic from the road outside a school."

Nick Humphries, deputy headteacher of Townhill Junior School, one of the trial schools, said a number of children had "near misses" before a closure was introduced on Cutbush Lane.

"We would very much like to see the trial become permanent now because it's been a success. The feedback from the children has been overwhelmingly positive."

Parent Katie Strange who volunteers to put up the temporary road closure fences, said: "I would definitely like to see it as a permanent venture.

"The parents and children are so much calmer and so much happier."