Families protest at traffic jam 'madness'

Parents who suffer one of London's worst school runs today protested against the "daily madness".

Families with children at 28 schools in north London's "Nappy Valley" held a march and cycle ride to Hampstead to demonstrate outrage at congested roads.

The protest, converging on Fitzjohn's Avenue, comes six days after it was named as a blackspot for confrontations between traffic wardens and drivers.

The area has also been targeted by environmental campaigners furious at the use of 4x4 "Chelsea tractors" on school runs.

Karen Webb, 41, whose School's Travel Action Group organised today's protest, said: "It is a daily madness that we should have so many parents unnecessarily taking to the roads. Those parents who live reasonably close must consider walking or cycling children to school and at the same time the council has to acknowledge that for some parents there is no such choice."

Mike Greene, who took part in the walk with his son, admitted that he would normally have used his car and added: "There are 3,000 cars in a tiny area all trying to do the same thing at the same time."

But Anna Kioufi, who drives her daughter to Fitzjohn's Avenue from Crouch End each day, said: "I cannot get to school in time without a car."

The protest and campaign pamphlet was funded with ?10,000 from Transport for London and Camden council, which believes half the cars on school runs travel under two miles.