Newcastle primary schools to launch parent driving ban

Pupils and staff at Hotspur Primary have welcome the council's road closure plan

Parents will be banned from driving to pick up or drop off their children outside the gates of eleven schools.

Newcastle City Council will close roads outside the primary schools between 08:00 to 09:30 and 14:30 to 16:00 in a bid to cut pollution and congestion.

The trial will start in the summer term with Northumbria Police enforcing the closures.

The council said it hopes the move will motivate more families to walk or cycle to school.

The affected schools are:

• Ravenswood

• Chillingham Road

• Hotspur

• Grange Park

• Kingston Park

• Dame Allan's

• Sacred Heart

• Westgate Hill

• Broadwood

• Lemington Riverside

• Farne

Residents and disabled blue badge holders will still be allowed access during the closure periods, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Kevin McVittie, headteacher of Hotspur Primary in Heaton, said: "The roads around [the school] can become very congested at the beginning and end of the day so we really welcome the introduction of the School Streets scheme as it means it will be much safer for our children and much better for local residents.

"The scheme also builds on the messages about healthy living that we give to children in school by further encouraging walking, cycling or scooting to school."

Sgt Jane Munro of Northumbria Police's Road Safety Team said the force receives a "a significant number of calls about motorists putting the lives of young people at risk at school opening and closing time".

She said: "Unfortunately, despite our warnings, motorists continue to drive irresponsibly near many of our region's schools and so it would be wrong if we did not explore these kinds of measures."