Four schools to benefit from speed limit scheme

The schemes are set for outside the two Westcliff High Schools, Darlinghurst Primary School and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School.

As well as cutting the speed limit from 30mph in the areas, traffic calming measures are also planned, including speed humps and new zebra crossings in Middlesex Avenue and Manchester Drive, Leigh.

Darlinghurst Primary headteacher Bob Knight welcomed the news and said the school had been part of the consultation process for about two years.

He said: “We are fully in support of it. Pavilion Drive is a road used as an access point between Manchester Drive and London Road, and by parents dropping children off at several schools in the area.

“The volume of traffic at times is very high and something needed to be done about slowing cars down.

“It has to be seen to be believed. We have large lorries, vans and cars.

“We’ve had nothing but positive comments from parents and all the children are in favour of it.

“They even took part in a competition to design part of the sign. They believe cars travel too fast and need to slow down.

“I’ve worked here for six years and we’ve had minor accidents outside in the road as a result of people driving too fast.

“It will be of great benefit to the safety of our children.”

Local residents who took part in consultation also back the plan, with support ranging from 69 to 85 per cent for the various roads. The proposed 20mph zone takes in Middlesex Avenue, Eastwood Boulevard, Manchester Drive, east of Norfolk Avenue, Darlinghurst Grove and Pavilion Drive, north of Glenbervie Drive, as well as Norfolk Avenue, Kent Avenue, Surrey Avenue and Suffolk Avenue.

The report also proposes to introduce 24-hour parking restrictions along the west side of Eastwood Boulevard.

The traffic and working party and council’s cabinet committee will discuss the measures, which are to be funded by KeyMed, on Thursday and work could start during the summer holidays.