Schools launch road safety campaign

Three schools are hoping to deter dangerous parking and driving

A campaign has been launched to increase awareness of a low speed neighbourhood and improve road safety.

Perry Wood Primary School, Nunnery Wood Primary School, Nunnery Wood pre-school and Worcester city councillor Elaine Willmore are hoping to cut speeds and eliminate dangerous parking.

They have secured £2,000 from the West Mercia police and crime commissioner’s road safety fund to buy road safety equipment, some of which has been chosen by schoolchildren.

Willmore said the equipment included "parking buddies, banners, flags and bollard covers."

She added that bin stickers had been given out to residents in the hope of "raising awareness might encourage people to slow down."

"The whole area between Spetchley road and Newtown road incorporating the Red Hill and Ronkswood estates is a 20mph zone but there are only signs entering the estate on Nunnery Lane and Canterbury Road."

Willmore said drivers who parked on double yellow lines in the area were putting children's lives at risk

Willmore said pupils from Nunnery Wood primary school were worried they could be hit by a car after a pupil was hit by one outside the school last year.

“The children from Nunnery Wood primary school gave countless accounts of inappropriate parking and aggressive behaviour on their journeys to and from school," she said.

“They hope the signs will help spread awareness to the adults who cause these problems."

Willmore criticised drivers for parking on double yellow lines or "zig zags outside of the schools."

She said: "I know that drop off and pick up can be a stressful time of day but there is no excuse.

“You might not want to admit it to yourself but every time you do it, you are putting a child’s life at risk. It is selfish, dangerous and it needs to stop.

A spokesperson for Nunnery Wood pre-school said it needed drivers to "understand that our young children are so unaware of danger," and "an accident at 20mph is far less likely to result in serious harm."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.