YEARS of campaigning for a 20mph speed limit in front of a primary school have been rewarded with success.
Not only will Toft Hill Primary School get a lower speed restriction early next year, but a raft of measures will be
put in place to slow traffic through the village on the A68.
The announcement was made at Etherley Parish Council’s meeting last week.
Parish councillors described the move as an “early Christmas present from Durham County Council”.
Councillors were not expecting much from the county’s highways manager Dave Wafer who attended the meeting – and they were not surprised when he started by saying that long-term measures, such as a bypass or a HGV ban, were unlikely because of a lack of funding.
However, he went on to provide a host of short-term measures, starting with the 20mph restriction, which will come into force in January.
He said: “If the majority agree it is a good thing to do then we will find the money to do it.”
He added the speed restriction will be enforceable and not advisory as is the case in some areas. Other measures would include new signs, entry gateways and a “no waiting at any time zone” on a long stretch of the A68 on the opposite side of the school. There are also plans to replace the electronic speed sign in the village which is not working properly. At the same time an education and awareness programme will be launched at the school to promote road safety.
Mr Wafer said: “What we want to do, instead of doing it in bits, is to do it all together. It is a package of measures in front of the school.” Mr Wafer said officers had come up with the short-term solutions after carrying out a risk assessment around the village, as he had promised at a public meeting earlier this year. County councillor Heather Smith, who attended the meeting, said: “While the longed-for bypass is still nowhere on the horizon, these measures will improve the safety of the children.
“This is the result of a lot of lobbying by the parish
council, county councillors, local residents, and the school staff, and I am delighted that Durham County Council have listened.”
Toft Hill school’s headteacher, Janice Stobbs, also welcomed the news.
She said: “It is a big sigh of relief. I have been here since 2013 and it has always been a concern. We have never encouraged children to ride their bikes or scooters to school. We haven’t even encouraged them to walk to school. We might be able to rethink that.”
Clerk to Etherley Parish Council Alison Overfield said: “The parish council is pleased that finally something is being put in place after years of bringing road safety to the attention of the county council and the police.”
