Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter started the petition. Now she’s calling on central government to work with Suffolk County Council to create tailored road safety action plans for each school across the country. This safety initiative is a response to the increasing outcry over children being killed and injured in or around school zones. We are especially concerned about extreme speeds and lack of basic safety infrastructure.
The petition is still open through the first week of September, when it will be taken before Parliament. Riddell-Carpenter has lofty aspirations for this local initiative. She hopes it will lead to a nationwide effort to make streets outside schools safer.
Rachael Rudge, head teacher of Bucklesham Primary School near Ipswich, who was involved in developing the area’s action plan, described the urgent need for these plans. Her school is located at a dangerous intersection of two busy roads. One street has a 30 mph speed limit and the other a 60 mph speed limit. She noted that currently there are no speed safety measures outside the school.
This leads to a situation where many parents park on the 60mph, dual carriageway boundary around our school. Then they have to cross that busy road and drop their child off. Rudge noted the lack of a safety barrier at our primary pedestrian entrance. He stressed the harmful threats this creates for students and their families.
Neighbouring Suffolk County Council are looking again at the case for trialling more 20mph speed limits on roads outside schools. They hope to publish a follow-up report on this issue by the end of this year. Riddell-Carpenter’s suggested customized road safety plans would implement elements like suitable crossings, enforcement, and mapped walking paths.
As I toured schools across my constituency, I was stunned by what I witnessed. Children in rural primary schools across the country were passionate about sharing their experiences of road safety,” Riddell-Carpenter commented, adding that it’s imperative to act here.
Suffolk County Council has been greatly championing the Junior Road Safety Officer programme for more than 20 years. In fact, an amazing 61 schools joined the challenge last year! This is the only program that’s completely open to all elementary schools. Its purpose is to equip students with the tools to become effective advocates for road safety.
Yielding, Bucklesham Primary has never had an accident with pupils. Statewide, Rudge said, there have been eight to 10 near misses with parents crisscrossing oncoming traffic. Our findings on the absence of safety measures beyond school borders highlight the safety risks that kids are exposed to each day.
