Wharfedale News
Councillors want 20mph zones for all Horsforth schools
7:00am Tuesday 7th February 2012
New 20mph speed limits around all of Horsforth’s school are being called for by councillors in the town.
Councillors Chris Townsley and Brian Cleasby want to see 20mph zones introduced around all the area’s schools to help protect local children.
The two councillors are also calling for an increase in the number of 30mph per hour restrictions in Horsforth.
Coun Townsley and Coun Cleasby urged local people two years ago to make their views known about their proposals for 20mph zones around all local schools.
They wanted to see new speed limits applied outside Featherbank, Newlaithes, West End and Westbrook Lane – to match the 20mph zones already in place outside Broadgate and St Mary’s primary schools.
The councillors called for the limits in response to concerns from local people and fears that speeding motorists were putting children’s lives at risk.
But despite their concerns the blanket speed reduction has still not been introduced outside all the town’s schools.
Coun Townsley said: “The Highways Department of Leeds City Council has recently given the go-ahead to a number of new 20mph zones across Leeds, but none in Horsforth and Rawdon. We want 20mph zones round all our schools to protect local school children.”
Coun Cleasby added: “We have been working with residents to also get 30mph zones in several areas. For example traffic hurtles down Brownberrie Lane until it becomes a 30mph zone. It would make more sense to make it all 30mph, the same goes for Bayton Lane.”
When the two councillors initially launched their campaign they said parents were already concerned about the issue of speeding traffic – and they warned that the problem could be made worse by a planned increase in the number of pupils at local primary schools. Councillors Cleasby and Townsley have campaigned for a comprehensive package of safety measures on Horsforth’s roads, particularly in light of an expected increase in airport traffic.