Thirty-four primary schools across Manchester will benefit from the first phase of a £3m scheme to improve road safety around local schools.
The funding for the scheme, which follows a review of school road safety, has been provided by Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester.
£800,000 will be invested in the first phase, with a programme for further work to be carried out from 2019 onwards currently being developed.
Schemes have been designed for each school, pending public consultation, with proposed interventions including new pedestrian or zebra crossings, additional pedestrian guardrails, bollards and new yellow lines.
New cycle routes have also been agreed at two high schools, to improve cycle accessibility and encourage safer cycling.
The new initiative follow sa review of school road safety conducted by Manchester City Council, which has recommended a package of measures including additional trial safety schemes to be developed in partnership with the selected schools.
Cllr Angeliki Stogia, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, planning and transport, said: “We share residents’ and parents’ belief that road safety around schools must continuously improve and have been working hard to examine every way in which safety can be enhanced for pupils and carers.
“We’re supporting our schools’ efforts to promote road safety by investing further in new pedestrian crossings and traffic-calming measures and by clamping down on illegal, dangerous ‘zig zag’ parking.
“Together, these important measures will help schools to create the safest possible environment for our children.”
Cllr Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s executive member for schools, culture and leisure, said: “Our schools are making great efforts to encourage responsible driving and parking and we’re determined to provide as much support as we can for this vitally important work.
“It’s really important that we get this right, which is why we’re proposing this £3m investment for the benefit of Manchester pupils and their parents and carers.”
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