Safer journeys to school are becoming a reality for pupils in the London Borough of Redbridge, where the council has completed two highways schemes designed to protect children on their walk to lessons.
A brand-new footpath now runs along Oak Lane beside Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford, while a new pedestrian signal crossing has been installed at the junction of Ley Street and Perth Road, close to Seven Kings Primary School in Ilford. Both projects were delivered in time for the start of the new academic year.
The Oak Lane footpath answers safety concerns that parents and staff had raised for years. Until now, pupils walking that stretch had to pick their way across a narrow, uneven patch of gravel, and when the ground was at its worst some stepped out into the road to get past. The new path gives them a proper, level surface to walk on instead.
Declan Linnane, headteacher of Trinity Catholic High School, welcomed the improvement, saying the footpath had made the local area safer for everyone and that protecting every child in the school’s care came first. He added that it was clear Redbridge took safeguarding seriously.
At Seven Kings, the new signal-controlled crossing links the school’s two campuses, allowing pupils, staff and families to move safely between the primary and secondary sites. Jane Waters, the school’s executive headteacher, thanked the local authority and everyone involved in delivering the scheme, saying its impact on school life had already been significant.
The schemes were put in by Redbridge Council’s Highways Team, working closely with both schools. Councillor Jo Blackman, the council’s cabinet member for environment and neighbourhoods, said the project reflected the authority’s commitment to making journeys safer and easier across the borough, adding that the team was already seeing the difference the works were making to school routes locally.
The councillor said the school improvements formed part of a much wider £35 million investment programme over the next four years, under which Redbridge plans to upgrade roads, repair pavements, improve crossings and make walking and cycling safer right across the borough — works on a scale with major road improvement schemes delivered elsewhere in the capital.
The two school schemes sit alongside the council’s School Streets programme, which has now been rolled out at more than 30 schools in the borough. School Streets restrict non-residential vehicles around school gates at drop-off and pick-up times, cutting traffic danger and improving the air children breathe. Neither Trinity Catholic High School nor Seven Kings Primary School is currently part of that initiative, but the new footpath and crossing bring a similar level of protection to their daily routes.
London’s push for safer school streets
The Redbridge works are part of a wider push across the capital to make streets safer for children. Boroughs have been rolling out lower speed limits, wider footways and targeted crossings around schools, and the number of 20mph zones in London has more than tripled in recent years, slowing traffic on the residential streets children walk every day.
Road safety campaigners have long argued that well-designed infrastructure does more to protect pupils than simply telling children to take greater care. Wide, even footways, clear signal timings at crossings and calmer traffic outside the school gates all reduce the risk of a collision — which is why schemes like Redbridge’s, however local, matter to families.
Advice for parents on the school run
For families planning the school run, a few simple habits can make a real difference. Walk the route with your child before term starts and agree exactly where to cross. Use signal-controlled crossings rather than stepping out between parked cars, where drivers cannot see smaller children. If you drive, park a short walk from the school gate instead of on the zig-zag lines outside it — or better still, leave the car at home where possible. Many schools also run walking buses, where groups of children walk together with parent volunteers, which keeps numbers up and traffic down.
Redbridge Council says the footpath and new Redbridge school crossing are only one part of its highways investment, with further improvements to roads, pavements and crossings planned across the borough in the years ahead.
