Worrell’s Lane is the only road which connects Winterbourne Down to Hambrook Primary School, and is used by tens of children every day walking to attend school.
- Worrell’s Lane has a very narrow pavement which means that pedestrians have to step into the road to get past each other. Young children have to walk single file without a parent holding their hand. Prams and buggies have to go on the road as they will not fit on the pavement.
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Cars speed down this road at over 30mph as it is used as a rat-run cut through. This is very dangerous as pedestrians are within touching distance of wing mirrors due to the narrow pavements.
- The 20mph roundels and any form of speed limiting (such as the speed table) have worn off and are not enforced.
- Road traffic has increased due to large delivery vehicles using the route, and commuters cutting through from the Ring Road due to Sat Navs.
- The road narrows to a single width with very limited signage. There are multiple instances of cars mounting the pavement in front of pedestrians (including children) as they do not want to wait for other cars to go past. This is terrifying for parents with children, and puts many people off from walking to school, as evidenced in our survey.
Mill Road is a hill in Winterbourne Down which is used as a cycle route from Downend/Bromley Heath for school children attending Winterbourne Academy.
- Cars speed down this road at over 30mph as it is used as a rat-run cut through. This is very dangerous as the road ends in a blind bend which is difficult for walkers and cyclists to cross.
- Groups of young cyclists do not get priority on the road, and have to contend with drivers speeding and overtaking them on uphill corners.
- The road is narrow, meaning that when cars overtake they end up on the wrong side of the road on a hill, on several blind bends. There are multiple instances of young people being knocked off their bikes, or parents banning cycling as they fear for their children’s lives.
A 20mph speed limit benefits everyone local to the area. We would see improvement in the local area and a stronger, healthier community through more face to face interactions where residents reduce car use for shorter local journeys. This would reduce air pollution and carbon emissions and the significant long term health impacts it brings. And of course, slower speeds makes our roads safer, in particular children who are overrepresented in road death and serious injury statistics, despite decades of road safety campaigns aimed primarily at children.
