Smog wars at the school gates: council tells school run drivers to switch off cars or face fines

London parents who drive their children to school are being ordered to switch off their engines by council enforcement patrols in a bid to cut air pollution.

Councillors, air pollution officers and volunteer parents are manning the patrols outside schools in Waltham Forest at the start and end of the day.

Drivers who flout the no-idling rules can be fined £20 by the council.

The initiative is starting at three schools but is set to go borough-wide to tackle “shocking” levels of pollution outside schools.

Parents were notified in advance about the patrols on the school website, volunteers said.

It is part of a Safer to School campaign to tackle dangerous driving and to encourage more children to walk, cycle or scooter to school.

The no parking zone at the school gates in Walthamstow

The Standard saw a patrol in action outside St Mary’s primary school in Walthamstow last week as motorists flouted yellow zig-zag no-parking restrictions outside the school gates and argued with officials, despite being told of the harm — and road safety risk — they were creating for pupils.

One mother took exception to being reprimanded by councillor Clyde Loakes, the council’s environment chief.

After she had pulled over with her engine running to let her child out of the car in the no-parking area, Mr Loakes told her: “You are putting toxins into the air right outside a school.”

She said parents had not received any direct notification about the initiative and added: “There is nowhere else to stop. I think it is very rude that you are trying to attack me for dropping my child at school. Have a lovely day. Maybe you will get laid next week.”

On a previous day a parent told the school’s deputy head to “f*** off” after being challenged for repeatedly driving on the pavement while turning his car, volunteers claimed.

Charlotte Schilcher, who runs the Waltham Forest Cares About Clean Air Facebook group, and whose seven-year-old daughter attends St Mary’s, said: “There are a lot of people who drive fairly irresponsibly really close to the school gate.

"That is a really big concern for people on the pavement and people on bicycles, fearing for their children not being seen by these vehicles.

“People leaving their engine on is the reason why we are here today — making people aware that they are polluting the environment and that children are particularly vulnerable to the fumes.”

One volunteer, Jill Carter, said: “I live opposite a very busy school where there is a lot of parking, a lot of three-point turns, a lot of danger and quite a lot of people idling for a very long time, particularly at home time.

"I’m very concerned about the environment and the smog in London.”

Another volunteer, Syreeta Johnson, who has a daughter and son at St Mary’s, said: “I think more people should try to walk or bike to school.”

Mr Loakes said the aim was not to stop the school run but to make parents think twice about the pollution they created.

He said: “I would like to think it might be challenging the school run. Our immediate audience is parents, who do want their children to be healthy. Nine out of 10 do turn their engine off when asked.”

Camden council and the City of London have imposed a traffic ban on some roads around schools.

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