Medway Council has generated nearly £680,000 from fines issued under its School Streets initiative, which restricts vehicle access outside 11 schools during drop-off and pick-up times. Between March 2024 and October 2025, the council issued almost 25,000 penalty notices to drivers, sparking anger among local residents who accuse the authority of running a "money-making" scheme.
The initiative prohibits motorists from using roads outside participating schools between 8:15am and 9am, and 2:45pm and 3:45pm, turning them into pedestrian and cycle-only zones. While the council says the measure aims to improve safety, residents claim it has simply pushed traffic onto nearby roads and that speeding continues outside school gates.
One of the affected schools is Burnt Oak Primary School in Gillingham. Mum-of-eight Charmaine Gordon, who recently moved from Croydon, said she understood the safety rationale but believed the council was exploiting the scheme for revenue. "It's just to make money for the council. They're trying to make money because they are losing money in a lot of ways," she said.
Dayna Rowe, a mum-of-two living on an adjacent road, said she was fined after moving in and being unaware of the restrictions. She described the situation as a "nightmare," adding: "I can't even get out of my own driveway sometimes. These things could cause accidents from people backed up." Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said her partner had been fined three times despite registering his vehicle as exempt, forcing them to appeal each time.
Adrian Pender, a decade-long resident, criticised the signage as overly wordy and suggested a 20mph speed limit might be a better solution. Medway Council has defended the scheme, stating that the fines are necessary to enforce the restrictions and improve child safety.
