Submission on Erskineville Public School drop-off zone

In response, Friends of Erskineville has made the submission below. We encourage others to make similar submissions.

Submissions can be made by sending an email to council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au, including name & address and quoting ref. 2026/235682 by Friday, 22 May.

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Submission on proposed school drop-off and pick-up changes – Bridge and Malcolm Streets, Erskineville

Reference: 2026/235682

Friends of Erskineville supports changes that make access to Erskineville Public School safer, calmer and more convenient for children walking, scooting, riding, wheeling and using public transport. We support the overall direction of relocating general school drop-off and pick-up activity away from Bridge Street and toward Malcolm Street. However, we ask the City to revise the proposal so it does not retain a hazardous general drop-off/pick-up arrangement on Bridge Street, and so the Malcolm Street changes are accompanied by appropriate safety upgrades.

Our position

1. We support the proposed relocation of school drop-off/pick-up activity to Malcolm Street.
2. We oppose the retention and expansion of the P5 drop-off/pick-up zone on Bridge Street because it perpetuates the known serious U-turn/3-point turn hazard.
3. We call for:
   • removal of general school drop-off/pick-up activity from Bridge Street;
   • retention of accessible parking spaces on Bridge Street;
   • installation of on-street bicycle parking outside the Bridge Street and Malcolm Street school entrances;
   • additional traffic calming and safety improvements on Malcolm Street; and
   • the City of Sydney to lead the implementation of a School Street upgrade on Bridge St.

Bridge Street is unsuitable for general school drop-off/pick-up

Bridge Street is a dead-end street. Drivers using the existing school zone must often turn around in a constrained space at the northern end of the street, close to children walking, scooting and riding, and beside the school playground. This is a predictable conflict, not an occasional behavioural issue.

The risk has already been observed directly. At a 2024 site meeting following community concerns, the Lord Mayor observed parents and carers performing U-turns and three-point turns at the northern end of Bridge Street while children were nearby. Following that meeting, the City undertook to investigate relocating the P5 zone from Bridge Street to Malcolm Street, removing P5 spaces from Bridge Street and installing bicycle parking on Bridge Street.

Retaining general drop-off/pick-up on Bridge Street would leave the core hazard in place. The problem is not simply the number of marked spaces or whether drivers comply perfectly with the signs. The problem is that the street geometry encourages turning and reversing movements immediately outside a primary school.

Children are small, unpredictable and less visible from many modern vehicles. The growing size and height of SUVs and utes increases the consequences of a simple driver error. A safe system response should reduce unnecessary vehicle manoeuvres near children, rather than normalising them.

Malcolm Street can work, but only with safety upgrades

Malcolm Street is a more appropriate location for necessary school drop-off/pick-up activity because it avoids the forced turn-around movements associated with Bridge Street and connects with the school entrance that has recently been improved for accessibility. However, it should not simply absorb additional activity without redesign.

If Malcolm Street is to become the main managed drop-off/pick-up location, Council should implement supporting safety measures, including:

• a raised pedestrian crossing or other safe crossing treatment near the school gate;
• a continuous footpath treatment at the Malcolm Street/Ashmore Street intersection;
• traffic calming to reduce vehicle speeds to a child-safe level;
• improved sightlines and driveway treatment at the staff car park entrance; and
• clearer priority for children walking, scooting and riding.

The staff car park driveway is a particular concern because children walk, scoot and ride past it, while parked vehicles can reduce visibility between drivers and children. The current proposal should directly address this foreseeable conflict.

Support active travel

Erskineville Public School already has a strong active-travel culture, with the school community reporting that around 72% of students usually walk, scoot or ride. This is a major community asset. The City should protect and strengthen it by making the school environment safer and more attractive for families who already travel actively, and for families who would do so if the streets felt safer.

A conspicuous gap in the proposal is the absence of on-street bicycle and scooter parking for parents and carers. There is bicycle/scooter parking inside the school for students, but families arriving by bike need convenient parking outside the school gates. Bicycle parking should be installed at both Bridge Street and Malcolm Street entrances.

Better active-travel access would also reduce congestion, noise and air pollution around the school. Families who genuinely need to drive should still be accommodated, including through accessible parking and safe “park and walk” options, but the school-front environment should not be designed around maximum vehicle convenience.

Bridge Street should move toward a School Street or low-traffic environment

Bridge Street has already demonstrated the benefits of a lower-traffic school frontage. During the 2023 road closure for construction of the mid-block crossing, families continued to access the school while the street functioned more like a temporary School Street. Children could walk, ride and scoot with far less conflict from vehicles.

The school and P&C Safe Access to School work has also identified Bridge Street as a candidate for a School Street treatment. Friends of Erskineville asks the City to continue this work, including through a Global Traffic Management Plan or other pathway agreed with Transport for NSW. Jurisdictional complexity should not prevent interim improvements where a foreseeable child-safety risk exists.

Conclusion

Friends of Erskineville supports action to improve safety around Erskineville Public School. We support relocating general drop-off/pick-up activity away from Bridge Street and toward Malcolm Street, provided Malcolm Street is made safer for children. We do not support retaining a general drop-off/pick-up arrangement on Bridge Street, because the cul-de-sac layout creates a foreseeable turning and reversing hazard immediately beside children and the school playground.

Council should use this proposal to move toward a safer, healthier and more child-friendly school frontage: accessible parking where it is needed, fewer hazardous vehicle movements on Bridge Street, safer management of necessary vehicle access on Malcolm Street, and better support for the many families who already walk, scoot and ride to school.

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