A new school street has come into force today (October 30) outside an Oldham primary school.

Oldham Council confirmed Buckstones Primary School in Shaw would join St Anne’s C of E Aided Primary School as the latest school street.

The school street traffic scheme was first introduced in Oldham earlier this year in Royton.

A school street is a road, or section of a road, which becomes closed to cars for between 30 and 60 minutes around school drop-off and pick-up times.

The Oldham Times:

A “pedestrian and cycle only zone” is enforced outside the front of the school, according to the Oldham Council website.

Only those with homes or businesses within this zone will be able to drive through during the times around the school day’s beginning and end.

Blue badge holders will also be exempt, alongside automobiles like emergency vehicles, postal service vehicles, and public transport.

Oldham Council said: “The objective of the School Street is to make the school run safer, healthier and more enjoyable for the whole community.

“Some parents may feel frustrated at first, but will, over time, find ways to adjust their daily routines.”

The council expects that the total volume of traffic near the school streets will decrease, and thus reduce air pollution, congestion, and problematic parking.

Sue Holt, headteacher of St Anne’s Primary in Royton, praised the traffic scheme’s effectiveness for her school.

She said: “We have managed to encourage more families to walk to school, and the children feel a lot safer, and so do parents before school and after school.

“It was pretty hazardous before, so now it’s far better.”

The school streets are being implemented on a trial basis, and the council are taking requests from parents and schools interested in establishing a School Street around their school gates.

Oldham Council said: “All aspects of the scheme [will be] considered, including comments from residents, local businesses and the school before a decision is made on whether to make the scheme permanent.”