West Sussex County Council has recently completed over £1million worth of transport improvements outside primary schools as part of active travel to school schemes to encourage families to leave their cars at home and choose active, sustainable travel options for the school run. 

The School Streets initiative aims to reduce traffic and make the space outside the school gates safer, encouraging walking, wheeling, or cycling as a more desirable option for the journey to school.

A key part of this is the School Streets initiative which aims to reduce traffic and make the space outside the school gates safer, encouraging walking, wheeling, or cycling as a more desirable option for the journey to school. By restricting traffic on roads outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times, with exemptions for residents, emergency services, and Blue Badge holders, these areas become pedestrian and cycle only zones.

Following a successful trial, the experimental traffic restrictions outside the three schools, Arundel Church of England Primary School in Arundel, Thomas A Becket Junior School in Worthing and Swiss Gardens Primary School in Shoreham, have now been made permanent. 

Now, three more schools will be implementing the School Streets initiative this school year; The Mill Primary, Crawley; River Beach Primary, Littlehampton; and St Joseph’s Infant and Junior, Chichester. Over the coming months, the County Council will work closely with ‘Sustrans’, ‘Living Streets’ and the participating schools in advance of the schemes going live.  Permanent Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) will soon be advertised, and it is hoped that the initiatives will begin at the start of the summer term.

West Sussex County Council also secured £1,014,000 capital grant funding from Active Travel England (ATE), to deliver further active travel, throughout 2024/25. These improvements include: 

• Signalised crossing improvements with an upgraded uncontrolled crossing at Lavant CE Primary School. 
• A new segregated cycle track on Lancing Beach Green between the western entrance and the skatepark, which will alleviate pedestrian/cycle conflict on the existing shared path in front of The Perch Café and kiosk. Improvements to the existing path could commence before the end of 2024 with construction of the new cycle track currently expected in spring 2025.
• Upgrading the existing puffin crossing on B2259 Felpham Way, Bognor Regis to a toucan crossing to support walking, wheeling and cycling to Felpham Community College and Downview Primary School. Construction is currently expected to commence before the end of 2024.
• A new puffin crossing outside West Worthing station. Construction currently expected to commence in spring 2025.

A number of additional active travel to school improvements have been delivered that include:

• Improved crossing facilities, with puffin style crossing points featuring low energy LEDs atHomefield Primary (formerly Chesswood Junior) School
• Footpath improvements at the end of the bridle way and school entrance atBirchwood Grove CP School
• A new shared pedestrian and cyclist path, as well as alterations to bus stops and parking restrictions to support the new pedestrian crossing at Yapton Primary School. 

The new pedestrian crossing on Chesswood Road, Worthing supports safer journeys to several schools in the area, including Homefield Primary School (formerly Chesswood Junior and Lyndhurst Infant schools), Davison Girls High School, St Andrews High School, and Springfield Infant School.

The improvements were delivered following strong support from the schools and wider local community and aim to address a number of issues raised at this key junction. This crossing not only improves road safety but also supports travel, enhancing access to schools, local leisure facilities and nearby residential areas.

Cllr Joy Dennis, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “I’m delighted that more schools are joining the successful School Streets initiative, and we are able to deliver more safety improvement projects outside our schools, as part of our commitment to making journeys to school safer.” 

“These changes make such a difference to school users and our local communities. We believe that by improving local facilities and partnering with local schools to implement Active Travel to school initiatives, we can help reduce congestion on our roads, improve air quality outside our schools, make travel safer for all road users, and will help nurture a culture of active travel choice to schools in West Sussex.”   

PIC-WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL