The council is introducing pedestrianised school streets during peak times, but residents have found themselves divided over the issue's impact on traffic.
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00:00 It may look quiet now, but at 3 in the afternoon this cul-de-sac in Gillingham will be heaving with school traffic.
00:07 With concerns surrounding safety and congestion, Greenfield Road is becoming one of the first school streets in Medway under new plans from the council.
00:17 This means the road will become a pedestrian and cycle-only area during pick-up and drop-off times when school is on.
00:24 St Mary's Catholic Primary School is just one of seven schools in Medway where the scheme is being implemented.
00:31 They say they're cautiously optimistic.
00:34 The road just outside our school gates, Greenfield Road, is a dead end, which means that when you enter you do need to turn round.
00:41 There is an awful lot of traffic on that road. It does pose safety issues for our pupils.
00:48 We have a lot of cars turning round in our gated entrance as well.
00:53 So my hope is that by pedestrianising the streets between the hours proposed, it will make it significantly safer.
01:02 The new scheme has not yet started here on Greenfield Road. It will be coming into effect on the 11th of March next month.
01:09 But one resident I've spoken to who's been here for 30 years says it's just kicking the can down the road.
01:16 That road, in fact. Railway Street.
01:19 Well, if they're going to do this down here and they do it on the other road and the next road, is it going to create a problem along Station Road?
01:29 Railway Street, sorry. Because all we're doing is pushing the problem down the road. It's like kicking a can, isn't it?
01:37 You create a problem here and you deal with it and it creates a problem somewhere else.
01:44 With some anxieties from parents and residents, Medway Council say the scheme will be under review,
01:51 but that the plans are supported by the majority of people living in the area.
01:55 We will see how they work and of course we will adapt our approaches if residents are not happy about particular examples of these.
02:03 But ANPR is not new. We've had ANPR on many bus routes in Medway.
02:07 We have CCTV car as well that goes outside schools. So we've been policing schools previously.
02:13 So all we're doing is expanding it rather than introducing it.
02:17 And so we think this is a fair scheme and we have consulted on all of these proposals.
02:22 And in many cases people have supported their implementations.
02:25 With just over two weeks to go until the scheme is introduced, the pick up at this school is about to get turned upside down.
02:32 Oliver Leeders of Sacks reporting for KMTV.