"It's there to protect children going to school": Parents raise alarm about "aggressive drivers" putting kids in danger by ignoring School Street

Parents and volunteers fed up with "aggressive drivers" ignoring a School Street scheme have called for improvements ahead of the new term following a "series of dangerous driving incidents".

The School Street on Norfolk Street in Cambridge has been in place since 2021 and was brought in as an attempt to encourage safe active travel journeys to and from St Matthew's Primary School, enabling schoolchildren to walk, scoot or cycle free from traffic and emissions.

However, parents and volunteers have expressed fear and anger following a series of incidents at the School Street, where traffic restrictions are in place between 8.30am-9.30am and 2.45pm-3.30pm on term time weekdays.

Volunteers who bring a portable barrier into the road to prevent motorists using Norfolk Street at the designated times have reported being abused and even driven at by "aggressive drivers".

"Most drivers are grateful when they see that we're just enforcing the traffic sign and trying to keep children safe, but we have had to deal with moments of aggression," parent volunteer Henry Wilton explained. "We had a van [driver] mount the pavement, brushing my partner, to drive around the barrier. I had a car drive straight at me, with the driver yelling abuse.

"These incidents are a good reminder of why the School Streets scheme is so important. It's there to protect children going in and out of school, and the rare aggressive drivers that we encounter are the biggest danger to them."

Another parent, Georgia Orwell said: "After I took over organising the rota in September, I was shocked by the kinds of incidents I was being told about. The police have investigated a couple of drivers, but never seem to have enough evidence to prosecute — despite vehicle details being provided, CCTV footage and eye-witness statements.

"We do report aggressive delivery and taxi drivers to the relevant authorities, but the message doesn't seem to be getting through that this is a legitimate scheme that should be respected by drivers. My hope is that if the county council can install more suitable infrastructure next to the school, it will keep everyone safer and protect families from the worst driver behaviour."

The volunteers reported verbal abuse as "commonplace", with drivers shouting and swearing at volunteers "on multiple occasions", while they regularly see mobile phone use behind the wheel, with one delivery driver recorded holding and using a phone while driving down the closed road "at speed".

Six incidents have been reported since the start of the school year in September, including drivers mounting the kerb to drive around the barrier. On other occasions, delivery drivers have lied to volunteers about delivering to the closed section of the road.

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The volunteers fear the incidents are undermining the aim of the scheme, to keep children safe from traffic, as well as "to protect their growing lungs from air pollution".

Several School Streets projects have reported issues as a growing number of schemes have been implemented over the past few years. Parents and teachers at a North Dulwich school were, in December, critical of a council's plan to rip out protective bollards at several local primary schools, claiming that a reliance on CCTV cameras to enforce the School Streets will "endanger the safety" of children cycling and walking.

Those comments came after a motorist was filmed almost hitting two children on bikes right outside a nearby school where the physical protection was recently removed.

Last summer, parents of children attending a primary school in Worcester, where children riding their bikes have been put in danger by motorists using a narrow, nearby lane as a shortcut, established their own guerrilla School Street by blocking both ends of the road at school pick-up times, in response to the "horrendous" road safety conditions in the area.

Last month, police in Exeter vowed to to clamp down on "unacceptable" drivers flouting bus gates and putting vulnerable road users at risk, after child knocked off bike by motorist in low-traffic neighbourhood near a school. That pledge came after volunteers stepped in as "human bollards" to enforce the road closure amid numerous instances of people flouting the traffic restriction.