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Only six schools in 20mph zones

9:50am Thursday 18th March 2010 in


By Flora Drury and Lauren Rogers

JUST six school in Worcester are in 20mph zones, despite residents’ concerns.

A county council report 18 months ago recommended 15 more schools which could easily get 20mph limits introduced.

David Clee, manager of Worcestershire County Council’s safer roads team, admitted it had taken a long time but said more investigations were needed to prioritise which schools should get lower speed zones.

He said: “We are very close to getting it done. There may be only one or two schools still outstanding.

"I appreciate it appears to have taken a long time. In reality it has, but it’s being done alongside a lot of other things.

"We only had one person doing it, and he was only able to visit schools when the kids are there.

"It’s no secret that the county council would like to see 20mph limits outside all schools, but in reality it is impossible because budgetary limits mean it’s undeliverable.

"We’ve got to do this fairly and consider all the schools in exactly the same manner.”

Councillor Derek Prodger, cabinet member for transport and safe environment, said: “The whole issue of speeding around schools is being taken very seriously and requires a thorough and detailed investigation.

"We have just completed detailed observations of vehicle speeds, traffic flows and road traffic collisions for each of the schools across the county and we are close to publicising the outcomes of those investigations.

“Each area is different and has to be judged on its individual merits.

“It would be irresponsible to rush through such a programme.”

In the county council’s July 2008 report Stanley Road Primary School was one of the schools identified as not needing major engineering works to enforce a lower limit.

A majority of residents in streets off Wyld’s Lane, Worcester, want speed limits on their road cut to 20mph. School governor Mandy Oasgood said: “It definitely needs to be 20mph on that road.

“I can’t understand why it isn’t. People use it as a rat run.”

Mr Clee said even a school like Stanley Road would end up costing a considerable amount.

He said: “In advertising costs alone for road traffic orders you’re talking £1,000 per school. That is £250,000 for 250 schools.”

The schools with 20mph limits are Tudor Grange Academy, Bilford Road; Gorse Hill Community Primary, Hollymount Road; Nunnery Wood High, Spetchley Road; Nunnery Wood Primary, Prestwich Avenue; Perry Wood Primary and Nursery, St Alban’s Close; St Mary’s, Mount Battenhall.

BALLOT: We want to know if you think going to the expense of creating 20mph zones outside schools is actually the answer. If you vote 'no', please take a second to explain what you think the answer actually is in the comment box below.

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Comments(11)

mushroom23 says...
10:42am Thu 18 Mar 10

So all of the children's lives in Worcester aren't even worth £250,000?
Also we're encouraged to walk our children to school yet measures aren't put in place to make things safer for us. Many drivers seem to use roads with schools on as a shortcut in the morning creating a much larger volume of traffic than at other times.

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cmot says...
11:30am Thu 18 Mar 10

It is clear the county council simply does not take road safety seriously. The debacle with gritting, the dreadful pothole repair regime and now only a small number of schools to benefit from 20mph speed limits just goes to show that the highway "experts" don`t care about the safety of the public, yet alone a child`s life. May be if these officers experienced the tragedy and heartache which affects far too many people from road accidents then may be something more would be done.
Sure, you cannot always cater for driving habits and some people will always drive too fast, but that should not preclude the council from doing more.
Instead these highway officers are more occupied about how much more they can earn, how little work they can do and what they can claim on expenses. And all while many members of the public have to take their lives into their own hands.

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jb says...
12:18pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I personally do not believe that just putting up a 20mph sign would solve or come close to helping the problem with road safety outside schools. It needs to be an issue addressed from all angles, from the motorist, school, parents, pupils and police. There are zig zags outside most if not all schools but they are constantly ignored by parents parking or pulling in to pick up their children. Where schools are located there are normally warning signs on the roadside which should be enough to let the average motorist aware that there could be hazards ahead but these, 20 mph or any other signs won't stop the idiots who are on the road from ignoring everything. Road safety outside schools is a concern for everyone concerned and should be a combined effort to try and limit the dangers that arise.

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Tulstar says...
1:24pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I love the way that the Council put the fact that there aren't 20mph limits outside all schools down to "budgetary issues"...
.
Nice to see that there's a "Safer Roads" team within the Council too... Yet another department for things to be passed through before they can be actioned.
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It's ALWAYS money with the bloody council... How about thinking about kids' safety. There are some things that should not be governed by "budgetary issues".. The safety of schoolchildren, in my opinion, is most definitely one of them.
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Perhaps a 20mph limit outside each and every school won't completely solve the road safety problem, but even if it improves road safety a little bit, is it a price worth paying?
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Yes.

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Hawlev says...
1:47pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I think it would help enormously if all schools had the designated 20mph. What I also think would help would be if schools invited parents in and gave THEM a lecture about road safety. Every day I walk my daughter to school and am constantly surprised to see parents speeding, parking on footpaths and parking on the zig zag lines outside the school, and its not just driving parents but also parents that walk their children to school, I've seen children walking in gutters, throwing stuff in the road and generally running amok its a very scary experience for a driver when it looks like a child might run in the road. We ALL have a responsibilty its not just drivers, parents must ensure their children are kept under control and drivers should take extra care and try parking where they are supposed to.

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jovialcommonsense says...
5:23pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I live by a primary school and the parents/guardians are the ones whose actions cause all of the problems.
It's amazing to watch those same people ignore the safety and needs of others children.
Hawlev is absolutely correct.

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Battenhall Bob says...
6:47pm Thu 18 Mar 10

If St Mary's Convent in Battenhall is anything to go by imposing an unenforced 20mph limit alone is not the answer. As well as educating the children the schools (St Mary's in particular) would do well to set up classes for the lazy and irresponsible parents who show no regard for any common sense rules of the road including those appertaining to parking, speed limits and consideration for other road users and pedestrians.

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Essinay says...
7:51pm Thu 18 Mar 10

It seems to me that the motorist is the only person held responsible for childrens' road safety. What happened to the Green Cross Code, parents talking their kids to school, holding their hands or otherwise supervising them? Cars rarely mount pavements but kids run into roads: that is where attention is needed. As a result you have 20mph zones for 24 hours for 365 days of the year when they are needed perhaps half an hour a day for 190 days a year. Another burden for motorists to solve somebody else's neglect of their responsibilities.

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Paul Snookes says...
10:04pm Thu 18 Mar 10

The following is the Worcestershire County Council Policy:
"Policy RS7: Introduce 20 m.p.h. speed limits outside schools across the County where such a limit can be introduced without compromising overall road safety for all road users."

Five residents knocked on every door in Timberdine Avenue and asked every household if they supported our campaign to have the speed limit reduced to 20mph, as is the case in the Battenhall Road area. 97% of those surveyed, which equates to 91% of all households in Timberdine Avenue agree that there is a problem with excessive vehicle speeds in the street and are in favour of the speed limit being reduced to 20mph. Both schools located in Timberdine Avenue, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College and Cherry Orchard Primary School also agree with the proposal.

Our elected representatives should carry out the wishes of the residents in their constituencies.

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brooksider says...
12:06am Fri 19 Mar 10

Paul Snookes wrote:
The following is the Worcestershire County Council Policy: "Policy RS7: Introduce 20 m.p.h. speed limits outside schools across the County where such a limit can be introduced without compromising overall road safety for all road users." Five residents knocked on every door in Timberdine Avenue and asked every household if they supported our campaign to have the speed limit reduced to 20mph, as is the case in the Battenhall Road area. 97% of those surveyed, which equates to 91% of all households in Timberdine Avenue agree that there is a problem with excessive vehicle speeds in the street and are in favour of the speed limit being reduced to 20mph. Both schools located in Timberdine Avenue, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College and Cherry Orchard Primary School also agree with the proposal. Our elected representatives should carry out the wishes of the residents in their constituencies.
Timberdine Ave has become a rat run for traffic taking a short cut to London Road, with many drivers ignoring the 30mph never mind the 20mph in Battenhall Rd and Camphill Rd.
Unfortunately parents are as much to blame for speeding as well.
Action should be taken before a child gets knocked down

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Hawlev says...
12:19pm Fri 19 Mar 10

Essinay wrote:
It seems to me that the motorist is the only person held responsible for childrens' road safety. What happened to the Green Cross Code, parents talking their kids to school, holding their hands or otherwise supervising them? Cars rarely mount pavements but kids run into roads: that is where attention is needed. As a result you have 20mph zones for 24 hours for 365 days of the year when they are needed perhaps half an hour a day for 190 days a year. Another burden for motorists to solve somebody else's neglect of their responsibilities.
Its both. Parents walking their children don't seem to bother what their children are up to and drivers (not just parents taking their kids to school) don't seem to take any extra care. I walk my daughter to school everyday and she walks on the path furthest from the road and holds my hand, other parents just let their kids run riot, parents dropping their kids off at school tend to park on footpaths, in front of other people's driveways and even on the zigzag lines in front of the school. General drivers who probably use this route eveyday and know the school is there still tend to exceed the speed limit. The 20mph is a good idea but as a number of drivers can't obey the 30mph limit I douby very much whethe they will obey a 20mph limit. We need to educate everyone pedestrians and drivers.

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