First 'car-free zone' school street in county welcomed by pupils at Derbyshire school

ITV News Central Production Journalist Amy Lakin reports.

The first "car-free zone" school street has opened in Derbyshire this week, after months of campaigning.

The William Gilbert school in Duffield will have a "school street" whereby the area outside the school is restricted for access by cars during drop off and pick up times.

This means cars can't access Vicarage Lane, the road which runs alongside the school, between the period of school drop off and pick up times on Monday to Friday.

An experimental traffic order will prevent cars except from emergency service workers, staff at the school and postal workers driving along the road, and they will also be forbidden from unloading and delivering goods.

The pilot will run until October 2026 and will be reviewed by the council after this stage to see if it should be continued.

The school was selected by Derbyshire County Council after months of other successful initiatives such as Walking Wednesdays and fume-free Fridays which the school ran to encourage parents to use their cars less.

It will be enforced through clear signage restricting access and volunteers from the county council.

"It's great we have limits of where we can park because it's much safer"

Helen Britten, the headteacher at William Gilbert school said:

"We are delighted, parents have noticed a real difference dropping their children off at school times.

"We hope that this trial will prove to be successful and that we will see the scheme pop up in schools throughout the county."

Aidan, a year 5 pupil at the school said: "It's a good idea so more people are walking and doing physical things when they are getting to school."

Heather, a year 4 pupil said: "If people drive around us and we are just talking to someone and we walk across the road and the car can't see us then it could be very dangerous.

"I really like the scheme, even though there's a school here we can still walk and we don't have to drive and I really like that".

What does the data show about air pollution in the area?

Figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show that in 2023, air pollution was linked as a factor in the deaths of 43,818 people in Derbyshire.

7,235 of these deaths were in Amber Valley, where the new school street is. This is just under 6% of the overall population there, which is the third highest death rate in the county, below only Derby city and Erewash.

The concentration of air pollution in the area is also above the national average at 7 micograms per cubic metre, this is the metric used to measure air pollution.

Data shows there is an air pollution concentration of 7.6 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

Henry, a year 4 pupil said: "I think it's great we have limits of where we can park because it's much safer on the roads and cars creates a lot of pollution."

Parents at the school told ITV News Central they welcome the initiative.

Aidan Murphy, a parent said: "I hate the cars when we are walking down the road in the morning and having a school street makes kids walk or ride to school which is what they should be doing."

'Air pollution is an issue and it's important that children learn about it an early age'

Hardev Hughes, a parent said: "Air pollution is an issue and it's important that children learn about it an early age so they can help us all and make the world a better place."

If the scheme is successful there is a caveat - that residents might have to pay for a permit.

Richard Robey, who lives nearby the school said: "I think the general opinion and mine is we shouldn't have to pay to access our properties.

"We welcome the scheme in principle but I would want this to be sorted if the scheme is to be made permanent".

Derbyshire County Council told ITV News Central: "The permits are currently free for residents and no decision has been made on whether residents will be charged."

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