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From 31 May 2022, local highway authorities in England outside of London have been able to apply to the Secretary of State for new powers to enforce 'moving traffic offences'.
Moving traffic offences include:
Currently enforcement of moving traffic offences can only be carried out by the police under criminal law and a penalty notice issued. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced in 2020 that they would be fully implementing the remaining elements of the Traffic Management Act 2004 - Part 6 Civil enforcement of traffic contraventions. This allows local highway authorities, in this case West Berkshire Council, to undertake enforcement, as the offences have been decriminalised and can be treated as civil contraventions. Local highway authorities will be able to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCN), more commonly known as fines, to motorists.
West Berkshire Council will be applying for the new powers to expand the work we already do to improve road safety and tackle congestion.
How do West Berkshire Council plan to use the enforcement powers?
At first, we plan to use the powers wherever a School Streets Scheme has been implemented. As part of the feedback from our pilot scheme at the Calcot Schools at Royal Avenue/Curtis Road and Gatcombe Close, it was identified that although the majority of road users abide by the restrictions, there is a small but significant number of people that do not. This creates a risk for those that continue to support and participate in active travel.
Thames Valley Police support the principles of the School Street Scheme, and were able to provide enforcement for the launch and early stages of the pilot; however, it is not realistic to expect a continued Police presence to deter potential offences. The new powers will help us enforce the restriction, and keep children and families safe. We will install traffic cameras to monitor, and issue PCN's to those entering the restricted areas during the key school drop-off and pick-up times.
Why we want your views
We'd like to know your views on the new powers, and whether you have any alternative ideas or suggestions on how to improve road safety, particularly around schools, and reduce congestion.
How to take part
If you'd like to comment on our proposal, you can do so by email to Activetravel@westberks.gov.uk or by letter to School Streets - Part 6 Powers, Traffic and Road Safety Team, Environment Department, Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, RG14 5LD. Please note that an anonymised summary of the consultation may be published.
The consultation is open until midnight on Tuesday, 20 September 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact Activetravel@westberks.gov.uk
What you told us
An informal consultation was held between 28 January and 18 February 2021 in order to gauge the level of local support for the project. Following a positive response, the details of the scheme were developed. The scheme was launched on 2 September 2021, and a statutory consultation began, inviting comments on and objections to the restriction.
The key messages were:
No formal (statutory) objections to the restriction continuing in force have been received.
The Head and Governors of Calcot Junior and Infant Schools would like the scheme to be made permanent.
The majority of respondents agreed with the objective of encouraging Active Travel to school and restricting access to Royal Avenue.
Several respondents said that they felt safer walking or cycling as a result of the restriction.
Thames Valley Police have stated that whilst they support the principles of the scheme and were able to provide enforcement support to assist with its launch and early days of operation, it would not be realistic to expect ongoing enforcement action.
The issue of ensuring and promoting compliance with the restriction was raised by a wide cross section of respondents, with many observing that a small but significant minority of road users are not abiding by the restriction.
You can read the full report online.
What we did
It was approved by Individual Executive Member Decision on Thursday, 26 May 2022 that the traffic restrictions imposed for the School Streets Pilot Project at the Calcot Infant and Junior Schools be made permanent, but that more enforcement was required. Feedback on the design is open for consultation until 30 September 2022
It's been nearly six months since the introduction of the school streets initiative and its time for the initiates first review. There has been some amazing improvements to the numbers of walking and cycling in the area - it has been a huge learning curve and some great suggestions been put forward to make further improvements.
Calcot overview map and charts.pdf
overview Calcot speed&volume.pdf
Don't miss your chance to have your say before the Friday 4th March 2022
School Streets – Keeping your school community safe
The School Streets scheme has been running at Calcot School since September 2021 and has proved successful with just a small number of vehicles ignoring the Safe Streets Car Free Zone.
On Tuesday 11 January 2022, Council Road Safety Officers visited the school where they observed eight vehicles entering the Car Free Zone between 8.15am and 9.15am without a permit.
The registration numbers of these vehicles have now been forwarded to the police who will make contact with the owners to remind them of the rules. If a driver is found to be repeatedly ignoring the restrictions they will receive a £50 fine from Thames Valley Police.
Community School Streets is a tried and tested scheme to remove vehicles from school streets to create a safer and cleaner environment with less air pollution and congestion. For more information visit: http://schoolstreets.org.uk/
If you’d like to become a volunteer and support our work please contact us via email activetravel@westberks.gov.uk