Parents want slower speeds for a safer school run

20mph road sign

New research from Sustrans reveals that over half (58%) of parents in the North of England want their school run to be on roads within 20mph limits.

Yet only 5% of parents surveyed currently report to have routes to primary schools covered by 20mph, and nearly a fifth (19%) have no 20mph areas at all. This exposes the problem that speed limits are a postcode lottery where pedestrians and cyclists are safer in some areas than others.

The adoption of 20mph as the national default speed for built up areas is a realistic solution.

In a Gorkana Surveys poll of 2,000 adults with children in primary school in areas throughout the United Kingdom, over two thirds (67%) stated that they would be more likely to walk or cycle to school if the speed was reduced to 20mph. In the North of England the figure was 69%.

Parents in the North of England were the second most likely after those in London to want to walk or cycle to school if their journey was on roads where the speed was 20mph, with 69% stating so, compared to over 80% in London and 63% in the South of England.

Rosslyn Colderley, Regional Director of Sustrans North West commented: “Road incidents are the biggest cause of preventable death and injury among children.’

“This poll reveals the stark gap between the public’s desire for safer roads specifically brought about by 20mph and what actually exists in their communities.

“A national 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas would ensure that the majority of school journeys would be made along streets with slower speeds. This would make everyone’s journey safer and allow children and parents freedom to choose healthier alternatives to getting into the car for the school run.

“We need the law to change so that 20mph speed limits are the default in built up areas. 20mph improves safety and can reduce the need to spend on new infrastructure”.

Rod King MBE, Founder of 20s Plenty for Us commented: “At the national 20mph conference in Cambridge today we will be highlighting the fact that many of the UKs largest urban authorities are already setting 20mph limits for 80-90% of their streets.’

“The current 30mph national limit is being rejected as “unfit for purpose” for communities so we’re setting out a series of government actions required for a planned transition to a UK default urban limit of 20mph by 2020.”