Cycling and walking groups call for end to ‘car-nage’ outside Bishop’s Stortford High School

Traffic “car-nage” outside the new Bishop’s Stortford High School is being urgently addressed.

A meeting was expected to take place on Wednesday (Sept 18) to ease drop-off and pick-up problems for parents and the issue of sixth-form students parking on residential roads.

The secondary has moved from its 1960s site in London Road to state-of-the-art facilities at Beaumont Avenue on the new 750-home St James’ Park estate off Whittington Way. Builder ISG remains on site, limiting parking for pupils on the campus.

The congestion and parking problems were highlighted by Cycle Stortford and Bishop’s Stortford & District Footpath Association.

Representatives conducted an informal survey from 7.55am to 8.35am on Wednesday September 11 as the new term began.

Positioned outside the school’s main entrance and at the Whittington Way end of Beaumont Avenue – the road that runs through the estate from St James Way – they catalogued serious concerns, despite the threat of £100 fines for drivers who stopped on Beaumont Avenue.

In a letter to Bishop’s Stortford’s East Herts district and Herts county councillors, Cycle Stortford’s Graham Oxborrow and Bishop’s Stortford & District Footpath Association’s Dave Webber said: “The traffic situation can be best described as ‘car-nage’!

“Initially, cars seemed to be turning into the school, although much of this traffic might have been school staff. However, as soon as one driver stopped to drop off students on Beaumont Avenue, others followed, with drop-offs also being attempted on the main road and in the car parks of neighbouring residential areas.

“Some drivers attempted three-point turns, effectively blocking the road for other users as they did so. A member of staff was attempting to manage traffic but was largely ineffectual given the volume of cars.”

The survey also recorded that students cycling to school were forced to dismount or ride on the road because of the number of pedestrians also using the cycling and walking route.

Graham and Dave added: “At the Whittington Way end of Beaumont Avenue there is a signed ‘no entry’ zone prohibiting all traffic through this zone other than buses and, for now, construction vehicles.

“In a 35-minute period, 63 drivers were counted ignoring this prohibitionin one direction only (south to north). It is estimated that a similar number ignored the prohibition driving in the opposite direction.

“Some drivers, encountering the no entry signs, undertook three-point turns or turned in a road junction where they conflicted with construction lorries. These manoeuvres also stopped buses and created a dangerous situation for students crossing the road having disembarked from southbound buses.”

They called for:

• An urgent traffic management plan to avoid students being dropped off on Beaumont Avenue or in neighbouring areas
• Safer crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on Obrey Way
• Promotion of public transport, cycling and walking as an alternative to the “school run”
• Enforcement of the no-entry zone
• Segregation of pedestrians and cyclists along the shared paths at St James’ Park.

They said: “What could have been a showpiece for sustainable transport has produced yet more traffic issues within and outside the development.”

Cllr Graham McAndrew, who is a governor of the school and a member of both the county and district councils, is already negotiating with both authorities to find solutions and has made several proposals to improve Obrey Way.

He told Graham and Dave: “With 1,200 students attending, some congestion at peak times is inevitable as everyone adjusts to new routines. It’s realistic to expect some disruption during these first weeks, but we anticipate the situation will naturally improve as parents begin to use more dispersed drop-off locations.”

Cllr McAndrew said that the schools’ designated visitor parking was still occupied by the developer’s site office, and once it was removed the area would be used by parents dropping off pupils in the mornings. There are no plans to designate an area for parents to wait to pick up in the afternoons.

The school’s sports hall is not yet operational and the land in front of it is being used as a builders’ compound. Temporary bike racks have been installed in part of the car park and together this means 81 bays are not yet available.

“The school is fully aware of the concerns about traffic in neighbouring areas and remains committed to working with all stakeholders to develop a more effective traffic management plan,” said Cllr McAndrew. “They also support the promotion of public transport and active travel routes as long-term solutions.

“While many of these issues were anticipated, delays in vacating the site by the developer have presented additional challenges beyond the school’s control. However, we are confident that these are short-term.”

He said adjustments to drop-off and pick-up timings and extra buses would ease congestion, in tandem with other temporary measures while construction finishes.