The ‘Slow to 20 for Safer Streets’ campaign is celebrating three years of making the roads outside County Durham’s nurseries, primary and secondary schools a safer place.
Durham County Council implements 20mph speed limits around schools and nurseries, as well as providing road safety education, training and publicity, as part of its Schools 20mph Part-Time Speed Limits project.
So far, the council has introduced 20mph speed limits at 65 schools across the county, with a further 22 schools to benefit over the next 18 months.
In addition to the schemes prioritised and funded by the council, Area Action Partnerships (AAP) have also funded a number of 20mph speed limits outside of schools.
These include:
- Bowburn Junior School – East Durham Rural Corridor AAP
- Coxhoe Primary School – East Durham Rural Corridor AAP
- Middlestone Moor Primary/The Oaks and Rainbow Nursery School – Spennymoor AAP
- Park View School, North Lodge site – Chester-le-Street and District AAP
- Langley Moor Primary School and Langley Moor Nursery School – Mid Durham AAP
- West Rainton Primary School – Durham AAP
- North Park Primary School – Spennymoor AAP
- Tudhoe Colliery Primary School – Spennymoor AAP
- Silver Tree Primary School and St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Ushaw Moor – Mid Durham AAP
As part of the 20mph part-time speed limits project Durham County Council’s Road Safety Team deliver a package of road safety education and training measures.
These include publicity and marketing materials for schools to distribute to parents/carers, resources to support the Junior Road Safety Officer scheme as well as practical training schemes such as the child pedestrian training and bikeability cycle training courses.
Cllr Brian Stephens, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “The purpose of the 20mph part-time speed limits project is to reduce traffic speeds around the schools during drop off and pick up times, which will help to improve road safety for all road users as well as making walking, cycling and outdoor play more attractive.
“By taking part in our road safety programme in schools children will gain the knowledge and skills they need to enable them to be safer pedestrians and cyclists.”
Other projects include road-safety-themed poetry workshops, and story writing workshops have also been delivered in primary schools.
Secondary schools have benefited from drama performances and workshops as well as working with a theatre company to develop road safety videos.
Sustainable travel initiatives have also been introduced into schools to promote active school journeys.