Three New School Streets Start Operation this Month

Restrictions around Notting Hill & Ealing, Fielding Primary and Twyford CofE

Ealing Council has a target of 50 School Streets across the borough

January 8, 2026

New School Street zones are due to come into force outside three local schools this month, as Ealing Council prepares to introduce timed traffic restrictions aimed at improving safety and encouraging more pupils to walk or cycle to school.

The Notting Hill & Ealing School zone restrictions will apply on weekdays between 7.45am and 8.45am and again between 2.45pm and 3.45pm. During these periods, motor vehicles will not be permitted to enter St Stephen’s Road between Wimborne Gardens and Edgehill Road, nor Limewood Close or the junction of Montague Road and Egerton Gardens. Residents and businesses located within the zone will be eligible for permits, and emergency vehicles will continue to have access.

The council’s School Streets page confirms that the scheme will operate during the school’s own term dates, which differ from the borough-wide calendar, and that enforcement will apply on school days during the morning and afternoon peaks.

The introduction of the scheme follows an independent evaluation commissioned by Ealing Council, which examined travel patterns at the school and feedback from parents, residents and staff. The report found that a majority of pupils already travel to school by active means such as walking, scooting or cycling, and that a significant proportion would prefer to do so if conditions were safer. Car use among pupils has fallen sharply since 2018, and the council argues that reducing vehicle movements at the school gates will further improve safety and air quality. It is part of a wider programme in which the council previously targeted implementing 50 School Streets by the end of this year.

However, the scheme has prompted strong reactions locally. A recent online discussion among residents revealed widespread confusion about which streets are included, how the signage will work and which term dates will be used for enforcement. Several residents expressed concern that drivers could be caught out by unclear signs or by the difference between the school’s independent term dates and the borough’s own calendar. Others questioned whether the scheme would simply push traffic onto neighbouring roads or whether it was being introduced primarily as a revenue-raising measure. Some residents also criticised the council for what they saw as a lack of transparency and for moving too quickly to implement restrictions without addressing concerns about displaced traffic or inconsistent signage. A few contributors raised broader objections to School Streets as part of a wider shift away from private car use. Despite this, other residents welcomed the scheme and said they hoped it would improve safety and reduce congestion around the school.

Fielding Primary School will also see its School Street come into effect on Monday 12 January. The school has confirmed the date on its website, which states that parents will not be permitted to drive into the zone during the main drop‑off and collection times unless they are residents or hold a valid permit. The restrictions will apply from 8.30am to 9.15am and from 3.00pm to 4.00pm. The affected streets include Bernard Avenue, Altenburg Avenue, the junction of Northcroft Road with Graham Avenue and Green Avenue, Wyndham Road, Midhurst Road from Claygate Road to Ridley Avenue, and Haslemere Avenue from Mervyn Road to Midhurst Road. The school describes the scheme as a way to create a safer, less congested environment for pupils walking, cycling or scooting to school. This information is confirmed on the school’s official page.

Twyford CofE High School’s School Street is confirmed to begin on 12 January, operating on weekdays from 7.45am to 8.45am and 2.45pm to 4.00pm during Twyford’s own term dates. The restrictions there will apply to Twyford Crescent, the residential street that runs directly past the school entrance.

Ealing Council maintains that these schemes are central to its Healthy Streets strategy, which aims to reduce car dependency and create safer, cleaner environments around schools. The evaluation report notes that staff and residents living within the proposed Notting Hill & Ealing zone were generally supportive, although parents and residents living outside the zone were more likely to oppose the plans.

Further information, including maps of the affected areas and details of exemptions, is available on the Ealing Council website and on the individual school pages.