Calls to reduce 70mph speed limit outside school

Schoolchildren, parents, the headmistress and a local councillor handed in the 1,000-signature petition on Friday

Parents and schoolchildren have delivered a petition signed by 1,000 people to a council calling for the 70mph speed limit outside a school to be reduced to 40mph.

The petition also calls for improved signage and a pedestrian crossing over the A1000 dual carriageway by independent Sherrardswood School, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, which caters for pupils aged between two to 18 years old.

Parent Laura Mythen, who described the situation as "absolutely mad", said a "12-year-old girl was hit by a car and nearly died of her injuries" in February 2023.

Hertfordshire County Council said it recommended "that residents who wish to present their views to the county council or who are seeking for a decision to be considered by a panel that they do so via our online petition portal".

Ms Mythen said parents had to gather the 1,000 signatures on foot as the council had recently changed the way it accepted petitions

Parents have been campaigning for over a decade following widespread safety concerns for children and families travelling to and from the school.

Ms Mythen, who is joint organiser of the petition, said that without a pelican crossing "it's almost impossible for children and staff to walk or cycle to Sherrardswood School as they would have to cross four lanes of traffic with a 70mph speed limit".

She added: "Only 15 seconds of travel time is added when driving the 640m stretch at 40mph instead of 70mph. That's a small price to pay to allow over 500 children to walk or cycle to school safely without fear of being hit by a car."

Hertfordshire County Council said: "If our online portal is used, when a threshold of signatures is met, in line with our Constitution we have a duty to present and consider the matter at the appropriate committee."

On its website it states that a petition with 1,000 signatures qualifies to be considered by full council.

The campaign group is urging the council to reconsider its stance and invites members of the public to join the campaign for safer roads.