Local volunteers needed!
A School Street is a timed road closure that restricts access to motor vehicles at school drop-off and pick-up times. The aim is to create a safe, welcoming and attractive environment where children, parents and teachers can walk, cycle, scoot or park and walk to school with less risk of air pollution and traffic congestion. Creating a car-free environment outside school gates will also support social distancing when children return to school following the national lockdowns.
The role of volunteer stewards is to man the barriers at either end of the road closure, educate and talk to the public about the scheme and to give people routes to provide feedback. Volunteers receive formal online training to walk through the role, some conflict management training as well as a run through of some common scenarios. On site will also be a paid member of Sustrans staff who acts as a Lead Steward to oversee the volunteer activity and reports back to myself on daily activity, we are also in the process of recruiting for this role.
The School Street pilots run for 6 weeks and we have 3 active School Streets in Oxford city, 2 planned for Bicester and a few more in the pipeline!
Application forms for our Volunteer Steward and paid Lead Steward can be found online with more information on the School Streets information page from Oxfordshire County Council.
As this is a new initiative, we are running a small trial to learn how we should approach School Streets. If your school would like to take part in a future scheme, email schoolsactivetravel@oxfordshire.gov.uk to register your interest.
The start date for the trial depends on government guidance on school closures and the lifting of lockdown. If these six-week pilot schemes are successful, we aim to continue running School Streets for 18 months.
Last Updated 20 April 2021
