STAFF and parents of children at Hanbury C of E First School are calling for action to slow traffic down on School Road.
It is currently a national speed limit road which drops to 40mph near the school but campaigners, who have worked tirelessly for seven years because of safety fears, want a 30mph limit implemented.
They say there have been three car crashes in recent years, including one on Wednesday morning (April 26) which left a 41-year-old woman with injuries to her neck.
School governor Ron Spencer, who lives two doors down from the school, said it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously hurt.
“We are at a bit of a loss as to what to do next to make the road safer for the children crossing.
“Since 2010, the school, residents, parents and councillors have been trying to change the speed limit but we have been met with the response that until there is a serious accident, in other words fatal, there is nothing they can do.”
He said ‘it seemed crazy it had come to this’ adding as well as the three crashes there had been numerous near misses.
Headteacher Andrew Payne said: “The school is old and was built on a hill near a bend, so the entrances are not visible.
“The crash hasn’t got anything to do with the school but it highlights the need for the speed limit to be changed.”
Calling it a ‘danger which needed to be addressed now’, parent and member of Friends of Hanbury School Eve Beasley, questioned why the speed limit was 40mph when other rural school roads were 20mph.
Another mum Victoria Millward garnered nearly 100 signatures on a petition and contacted Redditch MP Karen Lumley for help.
“People use the road as a cut through to Bromsgrove, so they put their foot down.
“This keeps going on and on and it is not right.”
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said the current speed limits were set in accordance with Department for Transport guidance to reflect it was predominantly a rural road.
“Where there are specific hazards, such as the school, it is more effective to alert motorists to these by use of appropriate warning signs.
“In this case, high profile school flashing signs are in place.”
