‘School streets’ in Cambridgeshire could be enforced with ANPR cameras

Cambridgeshire County Council has discussed using cameras to enforce restrictions around schools during pick-up and drop-off times

The county council is considering the use of cameras to enforce school streets. School streets restrict car movements at drop-off and pick-up times to reduce pollution and encourage walking and other active travel methods.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s highways and transport committee was asked to approve a report detailing their approach to using cameras to enforce traffic rules.

They were told that “initial planning work” has started on installing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to enforce turning restrictions on roads such as Downing Street.

Council officers also said they had started looking into using the cameras to enforce school streets, but these would need further assessment before being approved.

Cllr Darren Green, of Romsey, said he was “very, very happy” that the council was considering this.

The Green councillor said: “We know already that school streets can be very fragile and rely on a lot of volunteer work and best practice would be to back this all up with a camera system.

“I hope going forward, once this is in place, that we can prioritise using cameras on school streets.”

Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the committee, stressed that volunteers would still be important regardless of if the cameras had been installed.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “When the general public see that there are actually members of the community willing to stand up and man the school streets, and protect that school, it has a much better impact that having a no-name camera that feels a bit like it’s the state doing it, or the council doing it, when actually most school streets are really supported by the parents and those there.

“I think wherever possible I would support the use of volunteers on school streets but I do know that is increasingly challenging in some places.

“In some places unfortunately the level of harassment that is given to those school streets volunteers means the cameras might be a better approach.”