Derwen College calls for speed limit reduction

Charlotte Kettle (right) said some students were too afraid to cross the road to use the bus stop

A college for young adults with special educational needs has asked for speed limits on a nearby road to be reduced.

Staff at Derwen College near Gobowen, Shropshire, have reported a number of near-misses on the B5009.

Health and safety manager Charlotte Kettle said some students had become too afraid to cross the road because of the speed of the traffic.

She has asked for a 30mph limit outside the college and a pedestrian crossing to be installed.

Currently the limit on that stretch is 40mph, while further along the road it is 60mph.

Ms Kettle said: "As a college we spend a lot of time training our students to build confidence."

But she said that was being threatened because students were afraid to walk to a nearby bus stop due to the speed of vehicles on the road.

The speed limit outside Derwen College is currently 40mph

Ms Kettle said some students told her they had spent up to 20 minutes waiting for a safe moment to cross before eventually giving up.

Others had reported near misses and she said staff had witnessed two in the last year.

She said: "I would hate to think what might have happened if staff hadn't been there at that time."

The local parish council has approached Shropshire Council on behalf of the college and was told "something is in the pipeline", she said.

But she pointed out every other college in the county had a 30mph zone outside and, with new homes being built nearby, she argued the time had come for a change in the limit outside Derwen.

Shropshire Council said it was aware of the college's concerns about speeding but was considering what data and funding was available to support the case for limit reductions.

It said staff were happy to discuss the matter further with the college and look at monitoring speed levels in the area.