A primary school near Ipswich has been given thousands of pounds in funding to lower speed limits after more than 20 years of campaigning.
East Suffolk councillors awarded Bucklesham Parish Council £10,000 on Tuesday to reduce the speed limit in Brightwell Road, along the primary school, from 60mph to 40mph.
It follows some 25 years of campaigning by both the parish council and the school for the speed limit to be reduced to 30mph.
Rachael Rudge, headteacher at Bucklesham Primary School, said every school should be able to implement the measures needed to ensure children’s safety.
She said: “Children walk along and cross the 60mph road — luckily, we have not had any near-misses, but they’re quite rightly scared.
“It will be massive for the safety of the children.”
The issue resurfaced recently after Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, took pupils to hand deliver a petition to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for road safety measures for every primary school in the constituency.
The MP has taken the issue to the government with a bill to make it a legal requirement for councils to assess and improve safety around schools where risks are identified — the bill is waiting for its second reading in January.
Mrs Riddell-Carpenter said: “This is a major step forward for the school and the young students – and a big thanks to East Suffolk Council for approving and funding Bucklesham Parish’s application.
“But we can’t be complacent – there is a lot more yet that we need to do to improve road safety at the school gates – here at Bucklesham Primary and right across Suffolk Coastal.”
The money will be used to cover the legal costs of setting up a traffic regulation order — the mechanism allowing local authorities to implement road restrictions, such as on speed limits.
Caroline Topping, East Suffolk Council leader, said the authority recognised the importance of road safety in the lives of communities.
She said: “This is a major safety issue for children getting to and from school and, while not typically something the authority funds as a district council, we are pleased to support Bucklesham Parish Council in delivering this project for safety, health and wellbeing.
The parish council believes reducing the speed on Brightwell Road will create a "ripple effect of measures" to keep children and their families safe when travelling to school.
With the change now signed off by the county council, the parish will also look to implement a ’20 is Plenty’ zone right outside the school, in Main Road.
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