New hope for Selby High’s 20mph limit

Selby High School is hopeful a 20mph speed limit can finally become a reality with the support of a senior councillor. The demand for speed limit signs on all roads around schools in Selby is being pushed forward by district and county councillor Steve Shaw-Wright.

Labour councillors pledged to campaign for 20mph limits on all roads around local schools in their manifesto for the county council elections in May.

Cllr Steve Shaw-Wright, the deputy leader of the county Labour group, has been visiting schools in Selby this week to discuss the need for speed limit signs in the area, he said:  “Given that North Yorkshire has one of the worst road casualty rates in the UK, more must be done to tackle road accidents. The cost of each road accident far outweighs the cost of mitigating measures – and one way forward would be to introduce 20mph limits around schools. I am aware this reduction in speed is in place in some areas in the district, but not all of them – and one notable exception is Selby High School where hundreds of young people travel to and from school most days.”

He added:   “I will be raising this issue at the next meeting of the Selby Area Committee where I am sure other members of the committee will support it.   From there I would hope a recommendation would go to County Hall, and that’s where the work of gaining support for the measure really starts.   Hopefully we can make this happen across the entire county – and as far as Selby High is concerned, as soon as practicable.”

Staff and pupils at Selby High School have been campaigning for a 20mph limit outside the school for five years and the head teacher this week welcomed the support from Cllr Shaw-Wright.

Paul Eckersley said:   “There are 1,200 pupils here at Selby High, many of whom use the front entrance on Leeds Road to enter and leave every day.   We believe a 20mph limit would be the perfect solution to slow down drivers on Leeds Road and improve the safety of pupils when they are walking along the narrow pavements.”