A warning has been issued to drivers who could be hit with fines as a council has won powers to enforce a school street in the area.

School Streets involve temporary road closures being imposed on an area to limit traffic and promote road safety and walking or cycling to school.

Calcot Infant & Junior School has a school street which involves the closure of Curtis Road and Royal Avenue in the Reading suburb.

The closures are in place between 8.15am and 9.15am and 2.30pm and 3.30pm Monday to Friday during school term time.

Now a warning has been issued to drivers who could be fined for breaking the rules.

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Calcot is under the jurisdiction of West Berkshire Council, which has recently won the power to use an automatic number Ppate recognition (ANPR) camera system to enforce the school street.

This was obtained after an application for enforcement was granted by the Department of Transport in July.

Starting on Tuesday, September 5, any unauthorised vehicle entering the restricted zone around Calcot Infant and Junior School will receive a fine and be sent a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Reading Chronicle: The entrance to the Calcot Schools in Curtis Road, Calcot. Credit: West Berkshire Council / YouTubeThe entrance to the Calcot Schools in Curtis Road, Calcot. Credit: West Berkshire Council / YouTube

Cllr Denise Gaines (Liberal Democrats, Hungerford & Kintbury) executive member for highways, housing and sustainable travel at West Berkshire Council, said: “We’re really dedicated to making sure children stay safe while going to and coming back from school.

“Initiatives like this will encourage children and parents to increase their physical activity, reduce congestion and help minimise the impact on parking issues for residents close to the school.

“We know it might take a little time for drivers to get used to the new rules, but our main goal is crystal clear: creating a clean and safe space for children who walk or bike to school.

“By reducing traffic congestion and slowing down vehicles, the risk of accidents is minimised, and children can navigate the area more safely and happier as they gain more independence.”

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The council stated it recognises that drivers may have questions about the rules, which is why it has set up the School Streets PCN Online Learning (wbcroadsafety.co.uk) webpage to educate drivers about them.

Cllr Gaines added: “As we forward, we want to invite all drivers to pay attention to the new rules.”

The council hopes to establish more school streets in the future and encourages drivers to familiarise themselves with the rules on the council’s school streets website.

The Calcot school street was established on a trial basis from September 2021 to March 2022 with it being made permanent on May 26 2022.