Agenda item

The Committee has requested a report on school streets in Oxfordshire.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Mark Gregory, Team Leader: Behavioural Change and Travel, Cathy Champion, Operations Manager: Civil Enforcement, and Melissa Goodacre, Sustainable Transport Manager, have been invited to present the report and answer the Committee’s questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Thomas resumed her place.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management, attended to introduce the report the Committee had requested on the School Streets programme. He was accompanied by Paul Fermer, Director of Environment and Highways, Robin Rogers, Director of Economy and Place, Mark Gregory, Team Leader: Behavioural Change and Travel, Cathy Champion, Operations Manager: Civil Enforcement, and Melissa Goodacre, Sustainable Transport Manager.

The Cabinet member outlined that School Streets were a widely-adopted national policy, with evidence of positive outcomes locally, particularly at early phase sites such as Larkrise Primary School. He emphasised that School Streets should be viewed as part of a wider package of transport and behaviour‑change measures within the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, rather than as a standalone intervention.

Members discussed the process for identifying and progressing School Street schemes. Officers explained that expressions of interest could originate from schools, parents, parish and town councils, councillors, or through officer engagement, and that each scheme was developed through a school travel planning process with formal consultation. The Committee noted that phases four and five were in development, informed by the external review, and that delivery capacity was constrained by funding and officer resources.

The Committee discussed issues of enforcement, particularly exemptions for taxis and other vehicles under ANPR arrangements. Members raised concerns about perceived misuse of exemptions and the lack of granular monitoring data. Officers explained that enforcement was strictly governed by national legislation and data protection requirements, limiting the extent of data captured for exempt vehicles. Members noted that while abuse could be addressed through licensing authorities in specific cases, there were practical limits to wider enforcement.

Members welcomed the scheme’s aims but expressed concern about geographic concentration in early phases and the applicability of School Streets in rural areas or on main roads. Officers outlined how School Streets were supplemented by “soft” active travel measures, including park‑and‑stride schemes, Bikeability, cycle libraries, walking buses and behaviour‑change initiatives, and how physical infrastructure was addressed through Local Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plans and Movement and Place Plans.

The Committee discussed displacement of traffic and parking. Officers acknowledged the concern and explained that School Streets were intended to reduce congestion directly around school gates, often by encouraging safer parking locations nearby. Members requested greater clarity on whether displacement was being monitored and how impacts on surrounding streets were assessed.

Members also discussed the integration of School Streets principles into new school and housing developments. Officers advised that newer schemes were increasingly designed with active travel and access considerations in mind, but that many recently-opened schools had been approved before current policies were in place, limiting available interventions in the short term.

Members raised the role of independent schools in generating traffic and noted ongoing discussions with school operators around travel behaviour, park‑and‑ride arrangements and bespoke bus services. It was acknowledged that solutions varied by location and age range and required stakeholder buy‑in.

The Committee recognised the positive outcomes achieved to date, while identifying areas for further development relating to monitoring, geographic equity, enforcement clarity, resourcing and integration with planning and funding mechanisms.

The Committee agreed to make recommendations to Cabinet under the following headings:

1. That the Council strengthens early engagement and sign‑off arrangements for School Streets proposals, including clearer involvement of county councillors and town and parish councils, drawing on established processes used for other traffic interventions.
   
   
2. That the Council ensures adequate officer capacity and funding is made available to support expansion of the School Streets programme, including consideration within future budget planning.
   
   
3. That the Council accelerates engagement with independent schools to reduce traffic impacts associated with school travel.
   
   
4. That the Council reviews exemptions and enforcement arrangements for School Streets, within legislative constraints, and consider options to tighten controls where persistent issues arise.
   
   
5. That the Council ensures School Streets principles and wider active travel measures are prioritised within planning, section 106 agreements and developer‑funded infrastructure for new schools and housing developments.