Harrogate safety campaigners' call to North Yorkshire Council 'not to backtrack' on 20mph zones at schools

It’s less than six months since Coun Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, hailed the idea of a new 20mph speed limit zone around nine schools in Harrogate as a “landmark proposal”.

“This is the most significant 20mph zone the council has ever introduced,” Coun Duncan said in September.

“Our plan will see 20mph limits introduced outside schools and on nearby residential streets, meaning thousands of children can enjoy safer journeys every day.”

The move followed a campaign by local residents, councillors and school heads for greater safety on roads after a series of accidents involving pupils.

But a report on the issue set to be considered by Coun Duncan and Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire’s Corporate Director of Business and Environmental Services. next Monday recommends potentially scaling back the 20mph zones.

The new speed limits will still apply to the Pannal Ash and Oatlands area of the town but their scope will be reduced.

Residents in the Oatlands & Pannal Ash Road Safety & Active Travel Campaign argue that would mean less protection for the safety of pupils.

In a joint statement in the run-up to Monday’s meeting Hazel Peacock, Dr Jenny Marks, Ruth Lily and Dr Vicki Evans said: “For the safety and well-being of the 9,000 school children and the wider community in Oatlands and Pannal Ash we urge North Yorkshire Council to reconsider the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Leadhall Lane, part of Leeds Rd (A61), Otley Rd (B6162), Wetherby Road (A661) and York Place (A6040) as 20mph in the Harrogate (south and west) in review to be considered by Coun Duncan at next Monday’s meeting.

"Without the inclusion of Hookstone Road, Hookstone Drive, Otley Road and part of Wetherby Road, specifically, only five of the nine schools in the zone will be fully covered with 20mph roads immediately surrounding them; leaving St John Fishers Catholic High School and Willow Tree Primary School on 30mph roads and a combination of 30mph and 20mph in the case of Harrogate Grammar School and Oatlands Infant School.”

Campaigners are calling on North Yorkshire Council to match its rhetoric with action and to follow the example of local authorities such as Otley, Leeds and the Wirral.

The latter approved plans recently to reduce speed limits to 20mph on almost 1,000 roads in the Liverpool borough to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Oatlands & Pannal Ash Road Safety & Active Travel Campaign said: “Considering people hit by a vehicle at 20mph are around five times less likely to be killed than at 30mph (Transport for London data) and that 16 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week on their way to or from school (Public Health England), it is clear why the inclusion of these roads as 20mph matters.

"We hope Coun Duncan will include them to prioritise the safety and well-being of the school children and members of the community.”

In a sign of how politically divisive roads policy has now become across Britain, three Conservative councillors on the Labour-led Wirral Council’s environment and transport committee voted against the blanket 20mph limit.