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Welcome to School Streets North: 2025
The journey towards safer, healthier, and more active school communities is accelerating across the North, with School Streets playing a vital role in reimagining how children and families travel to school.
With Greater Manchester setting an ambitious target to expand its School Streets programme from 30 to 100 by 2028, the region is taking a bold step towards creating safer streets, cleaner air, and healthier travel habits.
School Streets North 2025 brings together local authorities, transport professionals, campaigners and educators to explore the successes, challenges, and future of School Streets. The event will highlight how strong leadership, local engagement and effective policy can drive meaningful change, while providing a platform for knowledge-sharing, debate and collaboration.
From setting up a School Street to long-term sustainability, the conference will provide invaluable insights through:
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Practical guidance on planning, implementing, and sustaining School Streets
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Innovative case studies showcasing best practices from across the UK
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Interactive workshops tackling key challenges such as enforcement, monitoring, and behaviour change
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Inspiring talks from active travel champions shaping the future of streets
With one-third of peak-time traffic attributed to the school run, and with childhood obesity levels rising, the need for change has never been more urgent. Recent efforts in the North demonstrate the growing momentum behind School Streets, with local leaders keen to support communities in launching new schemes.
Join us in Manchester on 1st May to be part of the movement making school travel safer, healthier and more sustainable for generations to come.
Key themes:
The panels will discuss issues including:
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Funding
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Partnerships
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Enforcement
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Active travel
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Technology
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Health and wellbeing
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Consultation and engagement
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Infrastructure design
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Monitoring
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Evaluation
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Traffic management
Who will be attending School Streets North: 2025?
School Streets South will be attended by:
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Local authority officers
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Policymakers
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Councillors and stakeholders
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Teachers and educationalists
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Road safety and active travel campaigners
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Parking and enforcement specialists
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Academics and researchers
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Consultants
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Transport planners
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Urban designers
Join experts, local authorities, suppliers, and community advocates to dive into the latest findings on School Streets, and explore the future of active travel from home to school. Discussions will cover the latest research, best practices in implementation and enforcement, securing funding, and managing the balance between incentives and regulation.
Research by the Road Safety Trust shows that School Streets increase active travel on the school run, are supported by most parents and residents in the nearby community, and do not cause significant road safety issues through traffic displacement.
Research by Active Travel England found that 85% of people in England support active travel and would like to do more, while data from charity Sustrans has previously found that four out of five children want to walk or cycle to school.
Attendee rates
Local authority free registration
*The first 50 places for Local Authorities are provided for free courtesy of our sponsors.
Please note this offer is limited to the first 2 delegates from your Local Authority. If you wish to send more, you will need to purchase a local authority ticket, priced at £95 + VAT. We encourage you to secure your place as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
1st May Conference Programme
Programme currently in development
09.00
Registration opens: Refreshments served in the Pioneer Room
09.45
Welcome
Why School Streets matter in the North and TfGM’s role in supporting local authorities.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
10.00
Session One: Starting Strong: Collaborating for Successful School Streets
A growing number of councils are embarking on the journey of implementing School Streets, having either just started the process, launched their first schemes or are set to roll out more schemes. The opening session will hear the perspectives of all those involved including cabinet members, council officers, headteachers and students, consultants and campaign groups. They will discuss the importance of collaboration.
Followed by panel discussion and Q&A
11.15
Morning break: Refreshments served in the Pioneer Room
11:45
Session Two: Laying the Foundations or Enforcing Success?
Choose from one of two sessions: The enforcement breakout session will be repeated in the afternoon, ensuring all delegates have the chance to attend.
Breakout room 1
Option 1: Making the Case & Engaging Communities
Starting your first School Street? This session will guide you through the essential steps to build support, engage with parents, students, residents and businesses, and make a compelling case for your scheme. Learn from real-world experiences and best practices in stakeholder engagement.
Workshop chair to be announced
Breakout room 2
Option 2: Enforcement, compliance and exemptions
What’s the right approach to enforcement? Should civil enforcement officers or cameras be used or can strong community support reduce the need for enforcement? This session will explore the most effective strategies to ensure compliance and whether cost-neutral enforcement is a realistic goal.
Workshop chair to be announced
13:00
Networking lunch: Served in the Pioneer Room
14:00
Session Three: PechaKucha: Fast-Track Innovations for School Streets
Eight quickfire, image-enhanced presentations on a range of issues shaping today’s School Streets, followed by a Q&A.
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Health benefits of School Streets – including snapshots of emerging data
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Street design – re-imagining the kerbside from parklets to rain gardens
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Modeshift Stars accreditation – how it works and why it matters
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Bike Buses
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Park + Stride – a solution for parents travelling further distances
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Walk Ride GM – how to make School Streets the focal point of active travel neighbourhoods
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Considering the needs of SEND students when creating School Streets
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Youth Travel Ambassador Programme – How students have a key role to play
Panel discussion and Q&A
15:15
Afternoon break: Refreshments served in the Pioneer Room
15:45
Session Four: Evolving School Streets or Enforcing Success?
Choose from one of two sessions: The enforcement breakout session is repeated from the morning, ensuring all delegates have the chance to attend.
Breakout room 1
Option 1: Enhancing & Expanding School Streets
How to improve and refine existing School Streets, including monitoring & evaluation, making the best use of data, learning from errors, dealing with traffic displacement, altering School Street boundaries, and working to improve the school journey
Workshop chair to be announced
Breakout room 2
Option 2: Enforcement, compliance and exemptions
What’s the right approach to enforcement? Should civil enforcement officers or cameras be used or can strong community support reduce the need for enforcement? This session will explore the most effective strategies to ensure compliance and whether cost-neutral enforcement is a realistic goal.
Workshop chair to be announced
17.00
Close of conference
Exhibition and supporter packages
Supporter Package
Includes:
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Company logo as 'supporter' on the event website, in all advertisements and communications (print and digital)
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Inclusion in the programme, with a speaker or session chair (to be discussed with Programme Manager)
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3m x 2m open space exhibition area supplied with table, chairs, wi-fi and power supply
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Company profile, including logo and 250 word profile on the event website
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Up to 5 delegate places for staff, colleagues and guest invitations
£2,500 + VAT
Headline Sponsor
Includes:
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Prominent logo placement on all event marketing materials (website, e-shots, event signage, social media)
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Feature as “Headline Sponsor” in all event communications and press releases
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Acknowledgement as Headline Sponsor during event opening and closing remarks
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Keynote presentation and opportunity to participate in a panel discussion
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Premium exhibition space at the event for direct engagement with delegates
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Logo featured on event holding slides and delegate packs
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Opportunity to contribute to a pre-event article or article featured on www.transportXtra.com and promoted on social media
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Company profile in event materials distributed to all delegates
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Acknowledgement on event social media channels with posts leading up to, during, and after the event
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Social media shout-outs and inclusion in event hashtags
£5,000 + VAT
Secure your exhibiton stand!
To discuss exhibiting opportunities at the School Streets, contact Jason Conboy on 020 7091 7895
Exhibition Floorplan
Key:
Occupied
Available
To discuss exhibiting opportunities at the School Streets North Conference, contact Jason Conboy on 020 7091 7893
Join experts, local authorities, suppliers, and community advocates to dive into the latest findings on School Streets, and explore the future of active travel from home to school. Discussions will cover the latest research, best practices in implementation and enforcement, securing funding, and managing the balance between incentives and regulation.
