Safety fears sparked by high speed limits near schools

PARENTS and teachers have expressed anger about children’s lives being put at risk by slow action from city and county councils to reduce speed limits outside schools.

Although metric limits come into operation on the country’s roads from this morning, councils have been allowed longer periods to review speeds at which traffic can travel around schools and other high risk areas.

This has left dozens of schools attended by children as young as four and five separated just by walls and gates from vehicles travelling at up to 62mph. However, under legislation to amend limits from miles per hour to kilometres per hour, councils are empowered to reduce them to as low as 30kph (19mph) in places.