Safety fears spark speed limit review near schools

Speed limits outside every school, nursery and college in North Yorkshire - some of which currently remain as high as 60mph (96km/h) - are set to be reviewed due to safety concerns.

North Yorkshire Council said it would review the limits near all 400 education sites, starting with the 16 schools located on roads with a 60mph limit.

The council said it had already cut the 60mph limit outside Cundall Manor School to 40mph (64 km/h), while the limit outside Appleton Wiske Primary School had been cut to 20mph (32 km/h).

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation, said there were "major issues" on the roads around schools, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times.

Duncan told BBC Radio York: "Some of what we see outside schools is really concerning.

"We just want to make sure that when children are travelling to school they're safe."

The councillor said that while some new limits could be implemented quickly, some roads would need calming measures introduced which would require public consultation.

"That inevitably takes longer - the design can be quite complex," Duncan explained.

"We're starting where the speeds are the highest, then we're working through the 50, 40 and 30 zones."

He added that the "presumption is in favour of lower speed limits where we can".

Duncan said the authority was working with North Yorkshire Police on enforcing speed limits, including potentially installing new speed cameras.

"If we just stick signs up, we're not going to create speed limits that are enforceable," he said.

After the current review was complete, the council would move to review the speed limits across the county's entire road network.

"That's a massive piece of work, it's going to take several years to do. We're not going to take a blanket approach," Duncan said.

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