Waiting and parking spaces on a Brentwood road with one of the most congested school runs in the country are to be recalled.
Sawyers Hall Lane is in the rare position of hosting six schools - St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England junior and infant schools, St Helen’s Catholic junior and infant schools, Grove House School and Becket Keys Church of England Secondary School.
The number of schools has meant residents have had to deal with an especially busy school run, with parents picking up their children usually parking on the side of the roads.
Their plight was even picked up by a Channel 5 documentary in 2018.
Following a non-statutory public consultation, in which 76 per cent of respondents backed Essex County Council’s plans, the authority is now to remove 26 waiting and parking spaces.
It says this will make the temporarily widened footway permanent and deliver the fundamentals of a School Street.
A statement as part of an agreed Essex County Council decision said: “This measure is expected to continue to deliver a range of benefits, which will encourage students (and parents) to walk and cycle more, in turn delivering long-term improvements to health.
“The provision of the widened footways will create more space for students and parents and will make the whole area safer during school drop-off and pick-up times.”
The plans also involve the introduction of alternative parking at several nearby ‘Park and Stride’ locations within a mile of the road, which will be operational from September and free for parents at school drop-off and pick-up times.
A number of other behaviour-change measures, including a project delivered by national charity Living Streets to encourage more walking to school and another supporting Walking Buses, will be encouraged.
A statement added: “Sawyers Hall Lane contains six schools and it is one of the most congested school routes in the country and illegal and dangerous parking behaviour is common.
“The number of schools on this congested cul-de-sac means that it is well suited to the principles underlying School Streets which are designed to help reduce emissions around the school gates and support pupils and parents to walk and cycle more.”
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