Not sure if this is the best place for this, but here goes.
My son's school is next to a very busy road and the pollution at the kerbside has been measured as being well in excess of the "safe" limits. The school has a large driveway between the road and the main buildings with in and out gates. Air quality measured at the entrance to the building is at an "acceptable" level. However, the measurement is not taken during the morning and (particularly) evening when the driveway is rammed with cars, most with their engines running while waiting for kids to emerge. And, of course, many kids stand around in this fug, while waiting to be collected. The school rules specifically state that parents should not drive on to the site to collect their children but this is ignored.
The school recently sent us its proposals for further limiting pollution levels across the site - planting trees, etc. - and asked for parents' views. One suggestion put forward was that 'no cars on the driveway' rule be enforced. This was dismissed with the explanation that "Transport for London will not allow us to close the gates as they are worried about waiting cars blocking the main road".
I'm puzzled by this for several reasons - a key one being that the road in question is a Red Route with a bus lane running all of the relevant stretch of road, so cars would not be allowed to stop in it. A couple of days of active enforcement would soon establish that. More to the point, can anyone tell me whether TfL actually has the legal power to tell the school, which is on private land, that it may not prevent vehicles coming on to the site?
It feels to me that this is a lame excuse and the real reason may be that the school doesn't want to risk annoying the WankPanzer brigade, but I'd like to be sure of the legal position before I stir it up a bit.
