Redbridge pilots School Streets programme

East London council uses Videalert CCTV enforcement systems

The London Borough of Redbridge has awarded Videalert a contract to install CCTV enforcement cameras as part of a School Streets pilot programme. Funded by the Mayor of London and Transport for London, the programme aims to protect children from air pollution and traffic and to promote walking, scooting and cycling during their journeys to and from school.

Under the scheme, roads leading to three schools in the borough – SS Peter & Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Gordon Primary School and Fairlop Primary School – will be closed to traffic at the start and end of the school day during term time.

The road closures will be complemented by the council’s established programme of active and sustainable transport initiatives conducted through the School Travel Planning process.

Council leader Cllr Jas Athwal said: “We have a duty to protect our children’s health, both as a council, and also as members of the community ourselves.

Targeting congested areas outside of schools will cut down on pollution caused by traffic, and also make roads much safer for children. We know that air quality is a top concern for parents and that’s why we’re working on initiatives such as this to build a cleaner and safer environment for our residents and mitigate the impact pollution has on local young people.”

Susan Johnson, headteacher of SS Peter & Paul’s Catholic Primary School, said: “The whole community at SS Peter and Paul’s is delighted with this project which will improve air quality and reduce congestion around the school. It is already a much safer place for the children.”

The contract, awarded through Skanska, will see enforcement technology company Videalert installing high-definition cameras to enforce the ‘no entry’ zones outside these schools. The council will be installing signs to notify drivers that these roads can be accessed only by cyclists and pedestrians at the displayed times.

Exemptions will apply to residents and businesses in the zone and Blue Badge holders requiring access. Non-exempt vehicles that enter the closed streets during peak times will be identified by Videalert’s automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Video evidence will be transmitted to Videalert’s hosted digital video platform where evidence packs can be viewed and validated prior to sending to the council’s back office system for the issuance of penalty charge notices (PCN). To reduce the number of appeals, PCN recipients will be able to view still photographs and video footage of the alleged offence over the internet.

Tim Daniels, sales and marketing director at Videalert, said: “We expect to see an increasing number of councils adopting a similar approach to raise the quality of air for school children and promote the healthy school streets agenda.”