School Streets: guidance for local authorities - Case study: Hackney Council

With 50 active School Streets, Hackney Council runs the UK’s largest School Streets programme, benefiting over 20,000 pupils.

Currently it covers 48 primary schools, 87% of primary schools in the borough. It also includes 5 secondary schools, 26% of local secondary schools. The council has committed to assessing all its primary schools for a School Street.

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The council has developed its approach over time, using evidence and learning from pilots at:

• St John the Baptist Primary School
• Gayhurst Community School
• Millfields Community School
• Oldhill Community School

School Streets are introduced using experimental traffic orders for up to 18 months. 

Following consultation, a decision is then made on whether to make the schemes permanent, with or without changes.

Hackney has been using CCTV to enforce School Streets for several years. 

A mixture of permanent and temporary cameras is now used. This means enforcement can be targeted where it is needed, without the cost of installing permanent cameras at every school.

The schemes are generally well supported by the local community. A 2022 poll of Hackney residents found that more than 7 in 10 wanted to see at least some of Hackney’s School Streets made permanent.

Between 2020 and 2021, following the rollout of more than 30 new School Streets, the borough average for walking and cycling to school had increased from 61% to 69%.

On Hackney's School Streets, the number of children walking to school increased by up to 30%. The number of children cycling to school increased by up to 51%.

On average, schools in Hackney with a School Street scheme saw a 68% reduction in traffic outside school gates, resulting in a significant drop in vehicle emissions.

Hackney Council has used its experience of delivering School Streets to create a toolkit and templates for promotional materials that are available free to other local authorities.

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