West Midlands to Pilot 'Kids Streets' for Safer School Travel
A significant new project designed to give parents the confidence to allow their children to walk safely to West Midlands schools is poised for launch. The 'Kids Streets' initiative, led by West Midlands Active Travel Commissioner Beccy Marston and Road Safety Commissioner Mat MacDonald, will see pilots emerging in the coming months, starting with Birmingham and potentially Coventry.
Encouraging Healthier Travel and Reducing Congestion
The scheme aims to promote healthier modes of travel for youngsters, enhance road safety, and drastically cut congestion during peak drop-off and pick-up times. Plans could involve banning cars from streets around schools at these critical hours, alongside implementing measures like new crossings and restricting vehicle movements.
Utilising new powers to address pavement parking is also expected to play a key role in the initiative. Both commissioners highlighted additional benefits for parents, including saving money on fuel and freeing up time otherwise spent on the road.
Building Confidence for Independent Travel
Beccy Marston explained, "We hope to pilot some concept designs in the next couple of months. It's about combining infrastructure investment with behaviour change support. We're bringing in partners like Sport England and public health teams to focus on children's health, wellbeing, and road safety."
She added, "If we can make parents comfortable with their children travelling to school independently, it frees up trips and opens opportunities for other activities like sports clubs or visiting friends. The main reason people don't walk, wheel, or cycle is safety, so addressing that is a win-win."
Inspired by International Models
Mat MacDonald expressed excitement about the project, noting, "We aim to have spades in the ground by year-end, inspired by Parisian School Streets, which create people-first spaces with permanent infrastructure changes. Hundreds of these have improved safety and community ownership of public spaces."
He emphasised, "Streets safe for children to walk, wheel, and cycle will be safer for adults, leading to happier, healthier, and more sustainable communities. Until children are safe, our work is incomplete, which is why they are our main focus."
The initiative represents a concerted effort to transform local streets into safer environments, leveraging regional partnerships and innovative approaches to active travel and road safety.
