DRIVERS could be limited to 20mph outside schools and residential streets, after Essex County Council launched a review.

Essex County Council’s full council voted to review the current 20mph policy to introduce mandatory 20mph zones outside all schools and appropriate residential streets, if requested by the majority of residents, at a meeting on Tuesday July 10.

Essex county councillor Dave Harris, who proposed an initial motion for a review amended by the Tories, said: “This is not just going to be safer for kids – when you think about that last year 789 people died in the UK on 30mph roads in estates, that’s a lot of people – those people are now going to be surviving.

“In most places it will be signage, in other places there might have to be some traffic calming.

“I hope we’ll get something in six months.

“If we don’t have anything in six months I will be going back to council asking where is it now and what is happening.”

Kerry Smith, councillor for Basildon Westley Heights, said that the notion cannot be implemented as a blanket policy.

He said: “I raised a point about the mandatory speed limit in the meeting where for Vange Primary School in London Road, Vange, in particular, coming off the A13, this plan would be in fact dangerous.

“There cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ policy on this plan.

“There should be a full package devised for each individual school across the county and there should be a full consultation with each school and parents on how to implement these plans.”

It will now be discussed by the Place Services and Economic Growth Policy and Scrutiny Committee, for adoption, possibly before Christmas.

Louise McKinlay, Brentwood Hutton councillor, added that simply putting a 20mph limit on the road outside a school may not address the problems.

She said: “We want something that is feasible, costed, which crucially will deliver what it is we want which is clearly increased safety for all of our children around schools.”