Shropshire Council 'does not have money' to reduce speeds to 20mph near schools

Councillor Dan Morris, for Burnell, will ask the portfolio holder for highways and transport, Steve Davenport, if he would support Councillor Morris in a campaign to consult on a blanket 20mph speed limit outside all schools in Shropshire, at full council on Thursday.

Councillor Morris will ask: "In the rural ward I represent, there are three excellent primary schools, Dorrington, Condover and Longnor.

"The parish councils of each village, and the headteachers of these schools, have indicated they would like speed reduction measures, including 20mph limits, outside these schools. I strongly support them in this.

"Anecdotally, many of the schools I see in urban areas in Shropshire appear to have at least 20mph limits immediately outside their schools.

"However, in many rural wards the opposite appears to be true.

"My question to portfolio holder Councillor Davenport is why do rural schools appear to be treated differently from schools in towns with speed reduction measures, and would he support me in a campaign to consult on a blanket 20mph speed limit outside all schools in Shropshire if the local population so desired it?"

Restrictions

Councillor Davenport will reply that the council targets accident sites and prioritised community concerns with "appropriate interventions", which can include 20mph speed restrictions or other traffic management measures.

Shropshire Council currently has an agreed approach for the implementation of 20mph speed restrictions on a site by site basis.

In the county 20mph restrictions are currently only considered outside schools or where there are high numbers of vulnerable road users, on urban residential streets in specific cases and, on town centre streets/pedestrian dominated areas.

He will say: "Shropshire Council’s entire highways and transport capital budget has been reduced by £5m in each of the next two financial years, and there has been a proportionate impact on the budget available to undertake integrated transport work.

"Therefore, an interim reprioritisation of the use of the integrated transport settlement has been put in place.

"The focus of the integrated transport programme of work will continue to be accident cluster site schemes, based on recorded accident data, and post-scheme safety reviews.

"However, the submission of new community led road safety concerns from town and parish councils will be put on hold until the review of budgets in 2020.

"There is currently insufficient funding to progress with the development of a programme of introducing 20mph speed restrictions outside of all schools in Shropshire."