FAQs

The School Street on Grove Street is operating on a permanent basis. Unlike other School Streets in the Borough that operate Monday to Friday in term time, during set times at drop-off (e.g. 8.15-9.15am) and pick-up (e.g. 2.45-3.45pm), the restrictions for this School Street apply 24 hours a day 7 days a week throughout the year, in order to allow for interventions that make the public space seem more welcoming and provide opportunities for social interaction and children’s play.

The gap that is provided through the School Street to allow through access for cyclists and exempt motor vehicles such as emergency services, was reduced to the minimum required. The vehicle entrance from the east side of the School Street is located on the opposite direction of traffic and the path will be weaving in order to provide visual deterrents to any potential non-compliance.

An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera is used to enforce the ‘Motor vehicles prohibited’ signs which were placed on each side of the School Street. Any non-exempt motor vehicles travelling through this modal filter will be captured by the ANPR camera and issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for not obeying the traffic restriction.

This camera-enforced School Street makes use of suitable signage as prescribed by the Traffic Signs Regulations and directed by the Traffic Signs Manual. This consists of:

‘Motor vehicles prohibited’ signs
‘Reminder to drivers that traffic enforcement cameras are in use’ signs

As per the Highway Code, signs with red circles are mostly prohibitive. Specifically, the Highway Code mentions that “Red rings or circles tell you what you must not do, e.g. you must not exceed 30 mph, no vehicles over the height shown may proceed”. Therefore, the ‘motor vehicles prohibited’ signs indicate that motorised vehicles (including cars, vans, lorries, motorcycles, and mopeds) are not permitted to drive past them. Emergency services are exempt from this rule and are therefore permitted to drive past the ‘motor vehicles prohibited’ signs.

Road users have an obligation to know and apply the rules contained in the Highway Code, which includes, among others, the signs that will be used for camera-enforced modal filters. Please refer to the Highway Code at the following link for more details: https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/road-signs-giving-orders.html

‘Motor vehicles prohibited’ signs
‘No entry for vehicular traffic’ signs

The purpose of the camera enforcement is to prevent drivers from travelling through the School Streets, whilst allowing emergency vehicle access.

The ‘motor vehicles prohibited’ signs give effect to a Traffic Regulation Order that prohibits the use of a road by motor vehicles except for the emergency vehicles. On the contrary, the ‘no entry for vehicular traffic’ signs prohibit all vehicles, including emergency vehicles. This is in compliance with the legal requirements of The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, Schedule 3, Part 3, Paragraph 11.

'No entry for vehicular traffic’ signs could for example be seen at entry points to one-way streets, where access to all vehicles, including emergency vehicles, would not be permitted. Hence this type of sign would not be appropriate for camera-enforced School Streets.

No, the active travel route is shared between pedestrians and cyclists. To prevent any potential conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists, the route is wider than the standard requirements for shared use routes, with even more width provided near the school entrances.

Yes, both the school staff car park and the church car park are accessible from the east side of Grove Street.

No. Vehicle access will be maintained to all roads within the area. Vehicle access is limited between opposite ends of Grove Street, but none of the roads are completely closed to motor traffic, enabling access and deliveries to continue. Specifically, the School Street at Grove Street does not allow drivers through access to Fore Street from the west side of Grove Street and the other way around.

Yes, the closure extends from the east side of the junction of Snells Park with Grove Street. This creates a loop between Langhedge Lane, Grove Street, and Snells Park to enable easier motor vehicle movements in and out of the neighbourhood. Motor vehicles heading northbound on Snells Park will only be able to make left turns into Grove Street, and motor vehicles on the west side of Grove Street that are heading eastbound will only be able to make right turns into Snells Park.

Emergency services can access the school and all properties within the area. The emergency services were engaged in discussion on the proposals for this project. This led to a design which allows emergency access through the School Street. Within the traffic orders emergency vehicles can be exempt, enabling unhindered access to both the school and the whole area.

Yes, refuse vehicles are able to collect refuse from all properties. This was an operational requirement of the design. Discussions took place with Officers responsible for Waste Management at the Council. Whilst they will need to maintain access, they are also clear that the number one risk to their operatives is from car drivers who are trying to pass through as they collect waste. To this end, they welcome measures that reduce traffic speed and volume.

The exit from the petrol station onto Grove Street will not be affected. Vehicles will continue to be able to exit the petrol station onto Grove Street.

12 on-street parking spaces are proposed to be removed, 6 of which were pay and display spaces. Removal of parking spaces was kept to a minimum where possible but was necessary at places in order to improve traffic flows.