High levels of air pollution in urban areas throughout the UK
have a devastating impact on children’s health which can be
severe, long term and even deadly. The UK has a legal
requirement to meet air quality limits as soon as possible. Yet
achieving legal compliance is insufficient to protect children’s
health and we need to reduce air pollution throughout all
areas as much as possible.
School Streets, where traffic is restricted on roads outside
schools at pick-up and drop-off times during term-times,
make it safer and easier for children to walk, scoot and cycle
to school. This report focuses on School Streets as a practical
and achievable measure to reduce children’s exposure to
toxic air pollution. School Streets also encourage active travel,
which brings multiple other benefits including reducing traffic
and air pollution over a wider area, reducing road danger,
and increasing physical activity. Evidence shows that School
Streets do not simply displace traffic but reduce it overall.
We have assessed the current status and future potential for
School Streets in four cities: London, Birmingham, Leeds and
Bristol, and estimated the possible impact if School Streets
were rolled out comprehensively in those cities.