The area around a Bristol school has been radically improved, creating a safer environment for pupils to walk and cycle, after receiving a grant from The Road Safety Trust.
When Bristol City Council identified a road junction next to Bannerman Road Community Academy to be pedestrianised, the school’s PTA took this as an opportunity to apply for funding.
The PTA commissioned artist Bahbak Hashemi-Nezhad to consult and design a ‘safe and playful space’ that engaged the local community. Bahbak worked with pupils at the school to creatively reimagine the area.
Events were held with residents, including a street party and temporary pizza restaurant, to include everyone in the design process.
Following this a new identity was co-created for the area – Frog Marsh.
The new pedestrianised space includes a raised table to slow traffic, improved lighting and signage and a museum of bollards – a playful collection of different bollards all painted the same colour that skirts the area, and a large, coloured surface to indicate a child-led space.
Lucy Badrocke, from Bannerman Road PTA, said: “The project offered new learning opportunities for children in the design of public space and long term, as the school continues to use the area as an extension of the classroom, will support students in understanding the public realm and engaging with their community.”
Sustrans were commissioned to evaluate the success and impact of the road closure. They found that traffic around the school was recorded to have reduced by 68% across school drop off and collection times and a 29% increase in people saying they would now walk to the school.
Ben Bowskill, Sustrans’ partnerships and public affairs manager for the west of England, said: “The changes to this junction have created a safer space for children, families, and residents to walk and cycle through.
“Frog Marsh has eliminated a local rat run, reduced traffic speeds, and increased space for play near the school.”
Sonya Hurt, CEO of The Road Safety Trust, said: “Evidence has shown that 40% of safety-related incidents involving children occur in the morning or evening of a school day so this project provided a real opportunity to help improve safety around school.
“The work that Bannerman Road PTA has undertaken has made a real impact to the volume of traffic in the area and highlights the benefits of partnership working to achieve positive results.”
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