16th November 2005
Signs Point to Safer Roads to School
New mandatory part-time 20mph zones
around schools on the A78 are good news for pupils’ safety, says MSP for
Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil.
The
20mph speed limit in the zones, set to be introduced at Greenock High School and
Ravenscraig and Lady Alice Primary Schools, will be enforceable by the Police
and will be indicated by vehicle-activated LED signs which will flash when the
20mph limit is in force.
The
new speed limit will be in force at busy times of the day when lots of
pedestrians, particularly school children, are around – e.g. before school
starts, during lunch time and at the end of the school day. Occasionally,
the limit will be in place for special events at the school.
Welcoming
the news, Mr McNeil said:
“We
all know that we should slow down when driving past a school - it’s an easy
way to cut the number and severity of accidents.
“But
drivers from outwith the area, or who don’t have kids at school, might not be
fully aware of school locations or when they’ll be busy.
So these new measures will give all drivers a highly visible warning that
they are approaching an area where there will be lots of children and young
people crossing and close to the road and, if they don’t slow to 20mph,
they’ll get booked.”
When
pupils are arriving for and leaving school and during lunchtime the LED signs
will show a “20” symbol and will flash “SLOW DOWN” if you are travelling
too fast. Outwith these busy times,
the speed limit will revert to 30mph. If
drivers speed through the zone, however, they will be flashed “30 SLOW DOWN”
to remind them of the limit.
On
behalf of the Scottish Executive, Amey will shortly begin to install the signs. The
date from which the new limit is enforceable will be notified to local press
when work is nearing completion.
Research
shows that in areas where 20mph zones and traffic calming measures have been
introduced injury accidents have fallen by 60%, child pedestrian accidents by
70% and child cyclist accidents by 48%. (Source DFT research project 1996)
ENDS
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