04/05/04 - Children's safety top of the list

Today, Cumbria County Council’s South Lakeland Local Committee put children’s safety top of the list when it agreed over £78,000 to fund school safety projects.  The safety measures include `no-stopping’ zones, 20mph speed limits around schools and provision of bicycle sheds and safety helmets.

County Councillor Oliver Pearson, Vice-Chair of South Lakes Local Committee says,

“The Committee agreed in March to increase maintenance spending on South Lakeland’s roads and identified almost £200,000 to target priority areas within the highways arena.  I am delighted that the Committee has chosen to focus so much of that money on children’s safety.  This is an example of Cumbria County Council’s commitment to improving the safety of peoples lives”

This school safety programme supports the work already being done as part of the `Better Ways to School’ initiative.  This initiative encourages children to walk or cycle to school, discouraging car use.  Schools are encouraged to develop travel plans to identify safer routes to school and areas for safety improvement along children’s route to school.