Heanor teens in road petition fight
Concerned teenagers in Heanor have launched a campaign to have further speed restrictions imposed on the road near their school.
Members of the school council at Heanor Gate Science College have written to MP Judy Mallaber and the Ripley and Heanor News to try and gather support for the idea of a 20mph limit on the A608 Heanor Road.
The speed limit is currently 40 but will be dropped to 30 under new plans announced by Derbyshire County Council. Pupils at the school would however like the authority to go further.
In a letter to The News, 12 members of the student council said: "We are a big secondary school next to a main road. Every day at about 3pm nearly 1,400 students leave our school to go home.
"Most students walk home and have to cross and walk along a really busy road.
"The speed limit on this road is 40mph, which we think is much too fast and dangerous as someone could get killed or hurt.
"Some of us have read in the newspaper that there is a campaign for a 20 mph speed limit on roads near to schools. We think this is a good idea and want this speed limit outside our school."
Cllr Bob Janes, Mayor of Heanor and Loscoe and a governor at the school, said: "It is less usual for these measures to be in place outside a secondary school, and on a main road, but I can see no problem with it personally.
"It cannot hurt to have the 30 limit imposed a bit earlier and there would not be any harm at all in having this 20mph limit in for half-an-hour in the morning and afternoon, which is all it would be.
"The problem is not whether it is put in, it is whether it will be observed. On a main road some drivers may be reluctant to abide by it."
A spokesman for the county council said: "The petition will go to Environmental Services to formulate a response and we will certainly look at it."
The spokesman added: "Prior to receiving this letter, plans to reduce the speed limit from 40 to 30 have already been put in place and signage to support that will be in place within the next four weeks."
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Wednesday 22 May 2013
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