Car free school zones

Two pilot car free zones at Burnside Primary School, Rutherglen and St Joseph’s Primary School, Blantyre started operation after the school Easter Holidays on Tuesday 19 April 2022. We respectfully ask that all drivers respect the scheme and do not enter without a permit. Any contravention of the zone will result in a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice fine.

Car free school zones is an initiative where the streets outside a school are closed to traffic at school opening and closing times. Closing the streets to vehicles helps achieve a safer, more pleasant environment for everyone using the streets whilst maintaining access for residents, businesses, pedestrians and cyclists. The initiative is supported by Sustrans and Scottish Government (Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes Scheme).

We undertook an initial consultation for 3 trial schemes:

• Glenlui Avenue, Rutherglen (Burnside Primary School) 
• Lochaber Drive (west of Ross Place) and Mar Gardens, Rutherglen (Loch and St Anthony’s Primary Schools)
• Park Lane/Ennisfree Road, Blantyre (St Joseph’s Primary School)

The main aims of the scheme are to:

• reduce the volume of traffic past school gates
• improve the air quality where there is greatest concentration of children
• encourage more pupils to walk or cycle to school, with the health benefits this would also bring

The consultation period ended on Friday 13 December 2019. This consultation has resulted in dropping the Lochaber Drive scheme due to the lack of support for such a scheme at this time.

A summary of the consultation can be found in the report to the Road Safety Forum of November 2020.

How does it work?

The streets around school entrances are a pedestrian and cycle only zone before and after school, with only a few exempted vehicles being allowed through. Signs at the entrances to the scheme inform drivers of the restrictions. Non-registered vehicles entering the scheme during the times of operation are identified by police officers and issued a fixed penalty notice.

The scheme operates for set periods before entry and after exit times of the school during school term time. It does not operate in the school holidays or at weekends. The length of each restriction is between 8.30am and 9.30am in the morning and between 2.30pm and 3.15pm in the afternoon, with slight variations in time for the individual circumstances for each school - which will be detailed on the signs at the entrance to the zone. Vehicles should not drive in the scheme between these times unless they have been given an exemption.

The road should be visibly calmer, safer and cleaner during these times. Data will be collected and compared before and during the trial period on modes of travel to school, traffic flow and speeds, and air quality. The school community and local residents can also give their views on the scheme.

Where can parents/carers park?

Parents who feel they need to drive will have to park legally nearby and walk the last leg of the journey. At many schools, there are already a high proportion of pupils walking and cycling to school however the concentration of traffic around school gates can put many off from walking or cycling. It is hoped that the scheme will encourage even more pupils to walk or cycle to school.

For the St. Joseph’s Primary School zone we have reached agreement with Asda that parents can use the Asda, Blantyre car park for Park and Stride with parking being at their own risk. This site has a controlled crossing to allow safe crossing into Blantyre Public Park and to the School Crossing Patrol site at Station Road to enable safe crossing to the school.

For the Burnside Primary School zone we have reached agreement with Tesco that parents can use the Tesco Burnside car park for Park and Stride, with parking being at their own risk. The site has a controlled crossing to cross Stonelaw Road, parents can then proceed along Highburgh Drive and Victoria Road to the pedestrian footbridge over the railway, to the school gate.

Who enforces them?

The scheme is enforced by Police Scotland. The penalty for ignoring the prohibition is a fixed penalty notice of £50. Warning signs have been installed at the entrances to the zones, giving drivers an opportunity to find alternative routes around the closed streets. 

What if I enter the zone before the operating times?

The road operates as normal outwith the advertised times on the signs. If you enter a zone prior to the start of the zone times, you will need to wait until after the end of the operating times to exit, or you will be subject to a fixed penalty notice, the same as entering the zone.

Exemptions

• Residents

Residents living within the scheme are able to apply, free of charge, for an exemption of up to two vehicles, registered to their address. Any additional permits or replacements will be charged £10 per permit. The permit will allow them to drive that vehicle in the scheme when it is closed to other traffic. Although we would encourage residents to try to, where possible, make their journeys outwith the restricted times. It is the resident's responsibility to tell us if they change their vehicle and register a new number plate for exemption

• Blue badge holders

Blue badge holders are automatically exempt.

• Parents/carers and school staff

Parents or carers dropping children at school (except Blue Badge holders) will not be eligible for an exemption. School staff will be encouraged to get to school prior to the zone start times. Where this is not possible exemptions may be granted

• Other road users

This will vary from scheme to scheme, often depending on information from the consultation/engagement process. Likely exemptions are emergency service vehicles and contract school transport dropping or picking up pupils from the school or their home address if it is within a car free school zone.

How long will the scheme last?

The scheme was initially promoted as a trial by a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order. This is a legal process which imposes traffic and parking restrictions such as road closures on specific streets for a short time span of up to 18 months. Initial monitoring of both schemes is ongoing and we are currently analysing feedback from a consultation undertaken in early 2023 to determine the next steps.

Other options

Schools chosen to participate in these schemes have already tried other means of improving the road environment around the school gates. Other traffic management options, or extensive parking restrictions, may have been considered, but to introduce them on a permanent 24/7 basis would penalise those residents living in the affected streets based on an issue that occurs only during school term times at drop-off and pick-up times. The car free school zones project provides an opportunity to trial a new way of addressing concerns raised around school parking and congestion, whilst encouraging and enabling alternative and sustainable forms of travel to school.

Parent packs

Information packs providing parent/carers with information to allow them to make their choice of alternative parking have been put together and can be found using the appropriate links below:

Burnside Primary School Parent Pack

St. Joseph's Primary and Nursery School Parent Pack

Exemptions for residents

Letters to residents detailing how to apply for exemption permits have already been sent out. Anyone who hasn’t received a letter and wishes to apply for a permit should contact parking.unit@southlanarkshire.gov.uk