Keep Clear for a Kid-friendly Kerbside

In our Streets for Kids campaign, our third ask is for a child-friendly kerbside. When it comes to safe streets this is one element that is often overlooked. That narrow strip between pavement and road, where children wait, cross, step out of cars, and generally try not to get run over. It’s a minefield: with cars parked end to end, small gaps to cross, enormous cars and sight lines blocked, just where children need them most.

Seeing and being seen

Parked cars near crossings and junctions hide children until the last moment. Many child pedestrian collisions happen near home or school, where children have to step out onto the road to see whether it’s clear. Once they are there, there’s no guarantee the other side of the road has space to let them cross. These dangers are why they need parents with them for every journey. 

Clear kerbsides give children a better chance to judge when to cross — and give drivers more time to spot them. The Highway Code even says it. Streets designed around cars, not people, put kids at risk.

The school run pressure cooker

The kerbside is even more important during the school run. At this peak time, streets shrink, pavements vanish, and children weave between bumpers. Congested kerbs turn crossings into obstacle courses.

The result? Families drive more. Congestion rises. Pollution rises. The vicious cycle of the school run continues. 

Clear kerbs = healthier kids

It’s not just safety. Clear kerbs can help improve air quality.

More parking by the school encourages more driving to school, and that means more pollution, especially around school gates. Children breathe it in, and long-term respiratory problems can follow. Controlled Parking Zones, timed for school travel, can reduce car trips and keep kerbs clear for safety and greenery.

Independence starts at the kerb

Clear kerbs are an important part of creating the safe streets are kids need so they can walk, scoot, or cycle safely and independently. That builds confidence, physical health, and lifelong habits that reduce car dependency. Streets designed around children end up better for everyone.

What we need

We’re asking all London boroughs to make child-friendly kerbsides a priority in their May 2026 manifestos, and have a dedicated kerbside strategy by 2027, which includes:

• More double yellow lines, zig-zag markings, and informal crossings so kids can see and be seen.

• Parklets, cycle hangars, shared mobility bays, and greenery — without blocking sightlines.

• Fair parking tariffs to discourage carspreading - oversized or unnecessary vehicles.

And we need these changed to be enforced and that means controlled parking zones.

Controlled parking zones are when residents and visitors pay a fee to park their car on the kerbside. There are many reasons why paying to park cars is necessary ( more on this in our next blog) but one of the reasons is so that the revenue raised funds traffic wardens

enforcement of the kerbside. Since it is no longer legal for authorities to use cameras to enforce parking rules, traffic wardens are the only means to make sure drivers aren’t parked on exactly the areas we want to keep clear for kids.

Start at the kerb

A clear kerbside won’t fix everything. But without it, other solutions fall short. If we want children to travel safely, breathe cleaner air, and gain independence on the way to school, the kerb is the perfect place to start.