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. 2022 Sep:110:103402.
doi: 10.1016/j.trd.2022.103402. Epub 2022 Jul 21.

Equity in temporary street closures: The case of London's Covid-19 'School Streets' schemes

Asa Thomas  1 , Jamie Furlong  1 , Rachel Aldred  1
Affiliations

Equity in temporary street closures: The case of London's Covid-19 'School Streets' schemes

Asa Thomas et al. Transp Res D Transp Environ. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

School Streets are a street space reallocation scheme that has proliferated since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, reducing motor traffic on streets outside many schools. Utilising a minimum-standards approach to equity, this paper examines the distribution of School Streets closures across social and environmental indicators of equity, and spatially across London's administrative geography. Using a multi-level regression analysis, we show that although School Streets have been equally distributed across several socio-demographic indicators, they are less likely to benefit schools in car-dominated areas of poor air quality, and their spatial distribution is highly unequal. This study presents an example of using environmental and spatial variables alongside more typical sociodemographic indicators in measuring the equity of school travel provision. For policymakers, the findings signal the need to implement complementary policies that can benefit schools with worse air quality, and to accelerate School Street implementation in slower districts.

Keywords: Active transport; Air quality; Covid-19; Equity; Healthy streets; School travel.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
An example of a School Street in London. Source: Anna Goodman.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A map showing the location of state-funded primary schools with School Streets (implemented between March 2020 and April 2022) across Greater London (April 2022). School Street Data Source: Thomas 2022, School Location Data Source: Department for Education.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by equity index.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by equity index (inner and outer London).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
A map showing the proportion of state primary schools with School Streets (implemented post-March 2020) across Greater London boroughs (April 2022).
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by percent of pupils eligible for FSM.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by IMD score of surrounding area.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by IMD score of surrounding area (inner and outer London).
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Distribution of pupils by ethnicity across schools with School Streets and without School Streets in Greater London (inner and outer London).
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Proportion of roads in the local environment surrounding a school by road classification and School Street/non-School Street school.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by NOx level from motor vehicles.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by NOx level from motor vehicles (inner and outer London).
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Confidence intervals of residual error for London's district boroughs.
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
The distribution of population density in LSOAs surrounding School Street and non-School Street schools.
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by population density of the surrounding LSOA.
Fig. 16
Fig. 16
The proportion of pupils attending a school with a School Street and the proportion of schools with a School Street by decile of school ranked by IMD score of surrounding area (inner and outer London).
Fig. 17
Fig. 17
Proportion of population with degree-level qualifications in LSOA around School Street and non-School Street schools.
Fig. 18
Fig. 18
Breakdown of pupils by ethnic group by school status.
Fig. 19
Fig. 19
Breakdown of pupils by ethnic group by school status and district borough.
Fig. 20
Fig. 20
Road classification of roads within 500 m of School Street and non-School Street schools (inner and outer London).
Fig. 21
Fig. 21
Road classification of roads within 500 m of School Street and non-School Street schools by district boroughs.
Fig. 22
Fig. 22
Distribution of NOx levels from motor vehicles by school status.
Fig. 23
Fig. 23
Partial effects plots from the GAM model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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