Speed limits outside every school in the county are being reviewed as North Yorkshire Council takes action to improve road safety.
The council will be assessing all 400 plus education sites across the county, including schools, nurseries, and colleges, starting with those where speed limits are the highest.
The council has adopted a presumption in favour of lowering speed limits in these locations.
In total, 22 sites have been reviewed so far, with the first reduced limits introduced outside Cundall Manor School, with the 60mph limit reduced to 40mph, and outside Appleton Wiske Primary School today (Friday, February 28), with the 30mph limit reduced to 20mph.
A further 16 schemes are in the process of being consulted upon, with lower speed limits expected to be introduced there. Separately, plans for North Yorkshire’s largest wide-scale 20mph limit introduction covering seven schools in the south and west of Harrogate are progressing.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “This is an unprecedented and coordinated effort to improve road safety for our young people.
“There are more than 400 sites to review across the county’s vast area, but we are committed to reviewing each and every one.
“We’re focussing first on the schools where speeds are highest. For example, there are 14 further schools where the speed limit nearby is 60mph. We want to consider reduced speeds here as a priority.
“We will then work through schools with 50mph, 40mph and 30mph limits to draw up plans for lower speeds. We have also already considered a number of standalone requests from the community in these locations.
“We are working with schools and local councillors at every stage, ensuring they are consulted and supportive of our plans.
“We will always pay attention to national guidance and the circumstances of each location, but I am proud we are able to bring forward this major initiative that has not been seen in North Yorkshire before.”
Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, executive member for education, and local councillor for Morton-on-Swale and Appleton Wiske, said: “Ensuring the safety of our children is a top priority and I’m glad to see we are actively looking at reviewing all educational sites, including Appleton Wiske Primary School.
“Reducing speed limits outside schools should result in fewer accidents and will create a safer environment for students, parents, and staff, ensuring that every journey to and from school is as safe as possible.
“I would also urge all drivers to respect the limits and drive with care in school zones.”
The headteacher of Appleton Wiske Primary School, Neil Clark, has also welcomed the reduced speed limit. He said: “There have been significant concerns for some time now about a potential accident outside school due to speeding vehicles.
“Our junior road safety officers have discussed the importance of road safety in assemblies and raised the profile of this important issue for our pupils.
“We are absolutely delighted that the council has now implemented a 20mph speed restriction through Appleton Wiske village which includes the road outside our primary school.
“This will certainly have a positive impact on the safety of our whole school community for years to come.”
North Yorkshire Council is also preparing to introduce a new speed management strategy to guide a proactive review of speed limits on its entire 5,700-mile network. This is expected to be approved in the next few months.
Cllr Duncan added: “We will not take a blanket approach to speed limits. We have rejected calls for 20mph to be introduced as the new default across our towns and villages, opting instead for a tailored approach that ensures consultation with communities.
“We will ultimately review speed limits on every inch of our network. We will assess limits on urban roads in our towns and villages, but on our rural roads too.
“We will review limits on a phased basis, backed up by extra resource and investment, building an ongoing pipeline of schemes for delivery.
“It will ensure we have a consistent, proactive and countywide approach, not only to 20mph limits, but all speed limits, with strong democratic oversight and an emphasis on consultation.”
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