A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate has been delivered to North Yorkshire Council today.

Asking the council to consider the blanket limit across Rossett, Pannal Ash, Oatlands, Woodlands and Hookstone, the petition attracted more than 900 signatures.

It was set up by parents concerned about children’s safety when travelling to schools in the area, and gained the backing of groups including Harrogate District Cycle Action and Zero Carbon Harrogate.

Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition this morning on behalf of the campaigning parents, said:

“We’re just delighted we’ve got this number of signatures. It shows the support for the proposal of this change, which could bring such positive benefits from a road safety perspective.

“Once you have that, it will change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users.”

She handed the petition to Elizabeth Jackson, democratic services manager for North Yorkshire Council.

After surpassing the required 500 signatures, it will now be debated by the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

Councillors John Mann, Pat Marsh and Michael Schofield, whose divisions cover the area of the proposed speed restriction and supported the restriction, all sit on the committee and handed over the petition with Hazel this morning.

Cllr Mann, whose Oatlands and Pannal division includes three primary schools, Ashville College and several nurseries and pre-schools, said:

“There is an urgent need in particular for a 20 mph limit for Yew Tree Lane, Green Lane, Hookstone Road, and Beechwood Grove, all of which are used by large numbers of children going to and from local schools, and I have emphasised this to the highways team at the council.

“In relation to the A61 Leeds Road, I have also written to the head of highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, to request that the 50 mph speed limit on Almsford Bank be reduced to 40 mph to reduce competitive speeding, and to improve road safety for schoolchildren using the pavements along the A61 near to the neighbourhoods of Stone Rings, the Fulwiths, and the Firs.

“The current risks to pedestrians using the A61 in this area were highlighted in January when a driver managed to overturn his car and demolish a 30mph sign at the top of Almsford Bank in the morning rush hour. In the same month, another vehicle overturned due to speeding in the early morning rush hour on Hookstone Road close to the junction with Hornbeam Park Avenue.”

The demolished 30 mph sign on Leeds Road

Cllr Mann said he would prefer the A61 Leeds Road to maintain its 30 mph limit through Oatlands in order to ease traffic flow, but that a reduction in the limit elsewhere was “urgently needed”.

He referenced a collision on Yew Tree Lane in which two 15-year-old boys from Rossett School were seriously injured, and another collision on Beechwood Grove which left an Oatlands Junior School pupil requiring hospital treatment – both of which happened while the children were on the pavement.

He added:

“These shocking events, combined with evidence showing that more than 10 children are killed or seriously injured in road crashes every week travelling to school, demonstrate the case for immediate action.

“With thousands of pupils travelling to and from the schools and colleges of south and west Harrogate during the week, implementing a maximum speed of 20mph in these areas has the potential to increase safety significantly.

“I really hope that this petition is looked upon favourably by the North Yorkshire Council highways team.”

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Malcolm Margolis, a member of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said reducing the speed limit would also make cycling a safer option for many families travelling to and from schools.

He said:

“It’s a terrific initiative by Hazel and the others. It’s absolutely needed in this area of Harrogate and we hoe it will be the start of it becoming normalised.

“In other countries, it’s just normal. You see parents and grandparents picking up children on their bikes. There’s no reason why we should be different.

“In a calmer 20mph environment, it’s so much more pleasant for anyone who isn’t in a car. In an urban area, it actually makes very little difference to journey times.”

Cllr Marsh, who represents Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone for the Liberal Democrats, said she also backed the plan, and hoped it would be supported by North Yorkshire Police.

She added:

“I’ve been supporting this idea for a very long time. My late husband and I got a 20mph limit put outside Hookstone Chase Primary School and some of the residential streets close by well over 15 years ago.

“My only issue is I wish the police would monitor it, because if they don’t, motorists know it and will ignore it. We can’t put our children at risk.”