Council celebrates completion of 20mph programme around Highland schools
Pupils at Altnaharra Primary School in central Sutherland will next week help The Highland Council to celebrate the completion of a speed reduction programme throughout Highland Schools.
From Monday (28 September 2009) a 40 mph speed limit will be introduced at Altnaharra with a part-time 20 mph speed limit near the Primary School. This completes the 20 mph speed limits at schools which started with Mount Pleasant Primary, Thurso on 24 January 2005.
Councillor John Laing, Chairman of The Highland Council’s TEC Services Committee said: “The whole aim of this programme is to save lives and to reduce accidents and injury to our young people throughout the Highlands. I would urge all motorists, especially locals driving around our schools not to get complacent and to kill their speed not a child.
“I would like to thank the staff in the Council’s TEC Services for all their hard work in getting to this stage, and I would also like to thank our partners in Northern Constabulary and the Trunk Roads Authority for their support.
“Now that we have this vital 20mph infrastructure in place we will continue to work with the schools through safer routes to schools and other initiatives such as cycling proficiency to ensure that our pupils have the best possible opportunity to arrive alive when travelling to and from school.”
Head Teacher, Isobel Gillies said: “We are delighted to mark the completion of the Council’s 20mph programme around Highland schools at Altnaharra. Although we are a small school with 7 primary and 1 nursery pupils – the safety of our children is paramount.”
One of three types of speed limits (full time; part-time or 20’s Plenty) has been introduced at 63 of the 64 schools in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. None of these speed limits were suitable for St Duthus special school at Tain. After consultation with the School staff it was agreed to install additional “wig wag” flashing lights without reducing the speed limit at this school below the current 30 mph. It is hoped that these will be operational within a month.
Sixty one of the 62 schools in Inverness, Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey have a 20 mph speed limit in place. The remaining school, Teanassie Primary, does not require a 20 limit because of the nature of the road and the low speeds already in place.
In Ross, Skye and Lochaber 82 of the 91 schools have 20 limits in place. The remaining schools either do not have public roads or speeds and volumes are already low and a 20 limit is not required.
Northern Constabulary Road safety officer Laura Fisher said: "The impact sustained by a child who is struck by a vehicle at 20mph is serious enough, but at 30mph the results could prove fatal. We welcome the completion of this initiative and encourage drivers to adhere to the restrictions in place, particularly near schools and areas where children are present."
Members of the Council’s TEC Services Committee were told that the national targets for 2010 set in the Department for Transport document “Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer For Everyone” are to reduce fatal and serious road casualties by 40%; fatal and serious child casualties by 50%; and the slight casualty rate by 10%.
The Highland Council is well on course to exceeding these improvement targets, with a 58% reduction in fatal and serious road casualties; 80% reduction in fatal and serious child casualties; and a 17% reduction in the slight casualty rate. The 20mph programme is part of a wide range of measures that are used to achieve these reductions.
Motorists are reminded that if they speed in the vicinity of Highland schools then the penalties will be tough. The Highland Council, Northern Constabulary and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Highlands and Islands Area) are clear that if motorists are caught speeding near Highland schools where a 20mph limit is in place, then robust enforcement action will be taken by both the Police and the Procurator Fiscal Service.