Frequently Asked Questions

A School Street is a road or street outside a school which is opened up to walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling during school drop off and pick-up times. Closing the road to traffic creates a mostly car free area creating a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone around the school. The scheme encourages travelling to school by walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling.

Vehicles will not be allowed to enter or leave the School Street when it is in operation (during school drop-off and pick up times) unless exempt.

Exemptions within the legal order could include – (no exemption permit required):

• police, ambulance of fire & rescue purposes;
• refuse collection, Post Office or other public utilities’ purposes;
• use by a doctor, nurse or other recognised health visitor on call.

Exemptions requiring an exemption permit could include;

• Residents who live on the street
• School Staff
• Blue badge holders residing at properties within the restricted roads, or carers with disabled pupils
• Hillside Golf Club staff and visitors (Hastings Road)

People who are exempt should drive as slowly and carefully as possible during the hours of operation of the School Street.

All residents will receive a letter from the Council about exemption permits and we will be working closely with Greenbank High School, Birkdale High School and Hillside Golf Club on the roll out of exemption permits.

Operating times for each school may differ depending on the start and finish times of each school.    The operational hours of the School Street will be on the road signs which will be at the entrance to the School Street.  For the Southport School Street Pilot which includes Birkdale High School and Greenbank High School the operation times of the school streets are below;

Hastings Road (Greenbank High School)

Start of the school day - 08.00 am – 09.15am

End of the school day - 14.30pm – 16.00pm

Windy Harbour Road (Birkdale High School)

Start of the school day - 08.15 am – 09.15am

End of the school day - 14.30pm – 15.30pm

School Streets reduce the build-up of traffic outside school gates for local residents and those using the school and creates a safer, healthier and happier environment for children, families and people in the community.

There are many School Streets around the country, and where they are in place, more children walk, cycle and scoot to school, air quality is improved and there is less traffic congestion – all things that can be achieved in Sefton too.

We are actively encouraging pupils to walk, cycle / scoot or take public transport to / from school as part of a healthy lifestyle. If you have limited options to do this, we would strongly recommend you park at the very least 5 minutes walking distance away from school to allow your young person to walk for part of their journey.   Please be considerate of residents (for example, by not parking over driveways) and be aware of existing parking restrictions when dropping off / picking up. 

The School Street is only in operation during the term time.

The Southport School Street Pilot will be delivered through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), on Hastings Road and on Windy Harbour Road.

The legal order will last for a maximum of 18 months.  The formal objection period is 6 months from the implementation of the legal order.  All formal objections will be responded to via the appropriate Council Committee after the objection period (6 months) has passed.  We will also produce a monitoring and evaluation report which will help us to decide the level of success of the scheme. 

We now have approval to introduce the School Streets at Birkdale High School and Greenbank High School.  We will publish the legal order needed to create the school street. 

The launch dates are as follows; 

Greenbank High School, Hastings Road - Monday 3rd July 

Birkdale High School, Windy Harbour Road - Tuesday 4th July

The project is being funded by the Combined Authority Local Transport Plan Capital Programme and Department for Transport Active Travel Fund Tranche 2.