Over the past decades Lambeth has gradually prevented traffic cutting through many of Kennington's back streets above the Oval. All the areas in pink (such as the Ethelred Estate, Cottington Estate, Walcot Square) are 'access only' for motor vehicles through a mixture of gates, bollards, road closures and one-way workings. This reduces traffic noise, air pollution and road danger in these areas - and has resulted in more local people walking, cycling and using public transport.
However most primary schools are on streets that are not 'access only'. The pupils are exposed to air pollution and deterred from active travel. It is feasible, effective and affordable (using a few gates and bollards) to encompass Archbishop Sumner's, St Mark's, Henry Fawcett and Walnut Tree Walk primary schools within the 'access only' areas. There are sufficient main roads for through motor traffic to use, without preventing motor traffic reaching properties.
In order of priority:
Archbishop Sumner's Primary School (blue marker just to the right of Kennington Road)
This is the most straightforward to resolve - a gate installed outside the former Court House Tavern on Renfrew Road would mean vehicles have turning spaces whilst through-traffic is stopped.
St Mark's School (blue marker to left of Oval Cricket Ground)
A gate on Kennington Oval at the junction with Harleyford Rd would allow an improved crossing to the cycle superhighway as well as cutting out the rat-running motor traffic, which can still enter and exit (albeit from the Vauxhall direction only, without a sign change) at the other end of the cricket ground.
Henry Fawcett School (blue marker to the right of the Oval Cricket Ground)
This suffers from traffic cutting through in large part to go down Magee Street and turn left, since TfL banned traffic from turning left at the bottom of Kennington Road (which, given appropriate traffic light design, could be reinstated in my opinion). Magee Street could be closed by Kennington Park Road, with a no-left turn at the end of Bowling Green Street which has the school entrance. This would mean traffic wanting to turn left, if TfL wouldn't review the Kennington Rd turn, would have to use Clayton Street, onto Kennington Oval, Harleyford Street, then left into Kennington Park Road.
Walnut Tree Walk Primary School (top left blue marker)
Installing the gate on Renfrew Road is likely to reduce traffic on this side of Kennington Road too, but if not, two gates on Lambeth Walk will cut out through traffic whilst still permitting access and turning. I have left Lambeth High Street open as it is now and retained access to and from both Black Prince Road and Lambeth Road for the fire station, police headquarters and businesses including Pimlico Plumbers and others who use the railway arches.Vauxhall Street past Vauxhall primary school has quite low traffic volumes, but these could, if desired, be further reduced with a gate south of Newburn Street, marked in green.
Additionally, a gate, also marked in green, on Brook Drive would cut down the limited west-east traffic cutting through
SOUTH OF THE OVAL
The triangle bounded by A roads south of Harleyford Road / the Oval has some long established 'access only' areas. Four new gates would prevent all rat-running through these back streets: as shown below on Fentiman Road, Dorset Road, Bolney Street and Albert Square.
