Calls to reduce 'extremely dangerous' 50mph speed limit outside Wiltshire primary school

Corsham Primary School has a 50mph speed limit on the road outside the entrance. Credit: LDRS

Residents in Wiltshire are calling for an 'extremely dangerous' speed limit to be reduced outside a primary school.

People want to see the current 50mph limit outside Corsham Primary School reduced to 30mph. However, the council is currently only considering reducing it to 40mph.

The Councillor for Corsham, Derek Walkers, said residents are "really concerned" about the safety of the road.

“This is bonkers", he said. "There’s an estate directly opposite the school and another estate that also requires children to cross, so 30mph is what we think is the appropriate limit. Everyone is really concerned about the risk of crossing that road.”

He explained that it had been two years since the request to reduce the speed limit to 30mph was made and said: “They’ve said they would only lower the speed limit to 30 if the average speed of the existing traffic was already 30.

One parent said she has seen children almost get hit by cars outside the school a number of times. Credit: LDRS

“You have to already have cars travelling at the speed limit in order to get it reduced because their argument is that reducing a speed limit on its own won’t change driver behaviour.

“If that’s the case one wonders why we bother with speed limits at all. It’s Catch-22. You can’t get them to change it unless people are already driving at the limit.”

Cllr Walters conducted a survey and more than 200 people responded indicating they viewed the area as highly dangerous.

One of the locals added to the survey: “I live opposite and use the school for my children everyday. I have been counting and have so far this year counted eight times when a child has nearly been hit at either school drop off in the morning or pick up in the afternoon.

“The afternoon traffic is usually more busy therefore is much more dangerous. Walking my children across the road to take or pick them up is extremely dangerous.”

Cabinet member for transport at Wiltshire Council, Caroline Thomas, said in response to the criticism: “After concerns were raised about the current speed limit at Bradford Road in Corsham, we engaged Atkins to conduct a full speed limit assessment.

“Sam Howell, Director of Highways, and I met with both the residents and Cllr Walters to listen to their views as to why a reduction to 30mph rather than the recommended 40mph should be considered.

“We recognise that many local residents would prefer to see slower speed limits on their local roads, but as a local authority we use the Department of Transport guidance on speed limits in order to help deliver consistent, evidence led, approach.

“As such, the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) have submitted an application for a reduction in the speed limit from 50mph to 40mph. For this to be taken forward, the necessary Traffic Regulation Order will go through a consultation process, giving people an opportunity to express their views before a decision is taken.”

However, Cllr Walters said: “Guidance is only guidance. There are no set rules they’re being forced to follow.”

On top of this Cllr Walters thinks the process for changing speed limits is not just a problem in Corsham but across the whole county.

He said: “The process is purely mechanical. They use current speeds and refer to a graph to determine what the speed limit should be.

“They don’t actually engage with local people when it comes to determining the limit.

“We’ve got people who have no idea what it is actually like to live with the problem and then they go through this mechanical process and don’t seem to make any concessions. Where’s the localism in that?”

Credit: Jude Holden, Local Democracy Reporter