The number of School Streets around Islington will be double last term when young people get back to class.

An extra 16 schools around the borough will have a School Street outside its gates, which means the road is closed at drop-off and pick-up hours in term time.

As part of the Islington Council scheme, any vehicles which break the closure without an exemption will receive a fine.

It aims to reduce traffic, clean up pollution, encourage active travel and facilitate social distancing as the Covid-19 lockdown eases.

This means as of September 2, School Streets will be attached to 29 schools around Islington.

READ MORE: Islington Council to roll out school streets programme to 80 per cent of primary schoolsResidents in the surrounding areas of the new School Streets have been sent letters about the changes, and a consultation will be held in a year’s time.

In July 2020, the authority announced its intention to triple the number of School Streets from 13 to 39 before the end of the year.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “The implementation of School Streets across the borough will mean that children returning to the classroom this week will experience a safer, less-polluted environment outside the school gate, where it is easier to socially distance.

“We know that children are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of air pollution, which is a major health emergency. School Streets directly address this by ensuring that Islington’s children can breathe cleaner air as they travel to and from school each day.

“School Streets also create a more active borough by making it easier for children and parents to walk and cycle during the school run.

“The installation of 29 School Streets reflects the council’s ambition to create a greener, healthier, safer environment for children, and we look forward to implementing a further 10 schemes before the end of 2020.”

This comes alongside the controversial People Friendly Streets projects, which aim to stop rat-running by closing through-roads in low traffic neighbourhoods.

READ MORE: More through-routes to be blocked to cars as fourth People Friendly Streets area announcedNew School Streets in September:

• Blessed Sacrament Primary School

• Copenhagen Primary School

• Gillespie Primary School

• The Gower Primary School

• Hargrave Park Primary School

• Laycock Primary School

• Pooles Park Primary School

• St Andrew’s C of E Primary School

• St John’s Highbury Vale

• St Jude and St Paul’s Primary School

• St Mary’s CofE Primary School

• St Mary Magdalene Primary School

• Thornhill Primary School

• Tufnell Park Primary School

• Vittoria Primary School

• Whitehall Park Primary School