Works to make road safer for youngsters
The Royal Borough is putting speed bumps along Courthouse Road following a twoyear push for traffic calming measures.
The council is looking to build four new speed bumps in total, concentrated on the northern section of the road.
Two of them will be located between Linden Avenue and Furze Platt Road, a third will be between Oaken Grove and Belmont Park, and the fourth will be to the south of the Belmont Park junction.
It is hoped these will be completed by the end of the summer, before the beginning of the new academic year – making the road safer for pupils attending the nearby Courthouse Junior School and Furze Platt Infant, Junior and
Senior schools.
“We know it’s an important issue with children crossing, so we wanted to make it a top priority,” said Furze Platt ward councillor Joshua Reynolds (Lib Dem).
He and fellow ward councillor Catherine del Campo
(Lib Dem) have been looking to make improvements to this road since being elected two years ago.
Cllr Reynolds said that they were determined to read all consultation comments and be ‘really thorough’ in investigating which measures would be best.
This follows a petition by residents asking for a study to find the most effective way of cutting speed.
According to the petition leader, speed watches showed cars travelling ‘way in excess’ of 30mph on a road with lots of school movements and onstreet parking.
Chicanes – a curve in a road used to slow traffic – were introduced as a temporary measure, while a crossing on the road has been introduced as a permanent scheme.
The zebra crossing is just opposite the entrance to Furze Platt Junior and Infant School. A lollipop lady has been posted there and is also a permanent addition.
Other ideas for traffic calming measures floated
during consultation were speed cushions, imprints on the carriageway or buildouts with a cycle lane bypass.
Speed bumps were eventually chosen as the better option, as these cannot be
swerved around like speed cushions, for example.
A 20mph speed limit on the approaches to the Linden Avenue junction and in the northern end of Oaken Grove will also be part of the scheme.