20mph speed limit plan around Wirral schools


A 20mph speed limit could be introduced around all Wirral schools.

Cllr Jean Quinn, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for Streetscene, is asking Wirral Council to look into the feasibility of introducing a statutory reduced limit.

Councillor Quinn said, “I am asking council to request the Director of Technical Services to review speed limits around Wirral schools and, in partnership with Merseyside Police, examine the feasibility of introducing either permanent or variable “time specific” 20mph restrictions as appropriate.”

Department for Transport guidance on setting local speed limits highlights that local authorities can consider introducing 20mph speed limits, variable 20mph speed limits and 20mph zones in residential areas and around schools if they believe it appropriate to do so.

Councillor Quinn added: “Our 'Accidents 2 Zero' initiative involving the introduction of advisory 20mph signs in residential areas has been very successful and popular and has now progressed onto a third tranche of sites across the borough.

"The introduction of 20mph speed limits around schools is a logical extension of this.”

Figures show the number of children killed or seriously injured on Wirral roads fell from 37 in 2005, to 14 in 2008.

Councillor Quiin said: "However, 14 is still 14 too many and we must never lose sight of this fact. Improving safety on Wirral’s roads, particularly for vulnerable road users such as children and adult pedestrians and cyclists, must continue to be a priority.”

The full council will consider the issue at its meeting on November 2.

THE GLOBE

Has anybody got figures for how many children were killed outside schools, leaving or going in, and how many were killed actually playing on the roads. It seems to me you can put as many 20 mph signs up as you like, you have got to get drivers to observe them, the best way to keep children safe is stop them playing on the roads. also stop parents parking right outside schools on the zig zag lines and letting the kids bale out into on coming traffic.

I hate speed bumps, the last thing a driver is watching out for is pedestrians when approaching those bloomin' things, they are a total distraction.

I agree, they are a distraction, and they rarely work. Those small bumps that seem to be popping up everywhere simply provide an obstacle for people to drive "over them" as in, wheels on either side of the mound and still do about 40.


No matter how slow I go in the MG, I can still feel every damn grain and bump, and these speedbumps provide a not so peasant experience.

How about thinking of a new idea to prevent speeding, those speed bumps that "move". If you go over them slowly, all is fine. If you go over them at speed, they can damage your car etc etc

We all know what speed bumps are for, very few motorist slow down enough and even when they do they soon speed up again in between them. What they seem to do around my area is give young children a false sense of security, and some parents. Since the bumps appeared in my area there seems to have been an increase in children playing on the road, and that is definitely not there intent, to allow children to play on the road.

A motoring writer in one of the quality papers has been running a campaign against speed "cushions". Straddling them at ANY speed - yes, 20mph or less, damages the inner tyre walls. An alarming rise in the number of blowouts at speed is because of the hidden damage these things cause.

A £1000 fine each for the chattering, mindless numpties who park on both sides of the road outside the school gates might help road safety ! Ever thought of letting the children WALK to/from school ???

Anything that will save one kids life is worthwhile. Wouldn't mind 10mph past schools providing the limit is only during the school hours. If drivers drove for other people besides just themselves, speedwise, interleaving, driving for the conditions etc there would be no need for all the road furniture but that is a cloud cuckoo wish list thing. I'm in a side road and the speeds of people going through here are phenomenal and these pillocks live here. It's all a mentality thing and if people can't do it voluntarily then the control freaks will do it for us. Fact.

I have driven a fair bit in the USA and on the 'other side of the pond' they DO HAVE signposted speed restrictions (20 mph) for around 100 yards before and after any school entrance. This applies only at certain times of the day.

The important bit is that PEOPLE OBEY the instruction.

There are no speed bumps (I hate them) as reminders - just painted chevrons every so often.

There is also NO PARKING (or drop offs, waiting with the engine running etc) within that School Zone. Again that seems to be OBEYED. My driving has mostly been in Florida and I am not sure what the procedure is for school bus pick ups/ drop off in other states but I think some have dedicated pull-in areas. That is different from here where the buses just line up and cause chaos - Breck Road, Wallasey, is a nightmare in the afternoons. It is prohibited to overtake a school bus if it it loading or discharging passengers. The buses have a sign on the rear to show this.

http://www.floridasectionite.org/TIPS/TIPS%2020%20Rev%202003.pdf

May sound complicated but if the average American can cope then anyone can

Snod

As I am thoroughly cheesed off with the way our wonderful Council has ruined Wirral's roads, with crazy road humps, junction and road narrowing, concrete tyre destroyers in the middle of many roads, miles of pointless yellow lines, perfectly good roundabouts replaced by delay-inducing traffic lights and so on, I wrote to Cllr Quinn repeatedly about the way the Council is wasting miliions of our pounds on these hair-brained schemes. Her replies became more and more ridiculous and I was forced to the belief that she has no understanding of traffic issues at all. I'm sure we'll get 20 m.p.h. zones all over the place. These will apply whether there are any kids in school or not. Then they can fine us even more. I'd like to hear the comments from the first person to be booked for doing 21 m.p.h. in the school holidays. I hope it's Cllr Quinn. Mind you, perhaps she can't drive. It wouldn't surprise me!

Im not really bothered, I don't actually feel much in the way of bumps in my car... but im all for traffic calming measures by schools.

One child being hit by a speeding driver outside a school, is one too many.

there you go Matt, isn't it much better to be nice?