Flashing 20mph sign coming to school dogged by traffic problems
A flashing 20mph sign is to be installed outside Westfield school in Watton. Picture: Getty - Credit: Getty
A flashing 20mph warning sign is to be installed outside a Norfolk school that has seen householders campaign against traffic problems.
Cllr Claire Bowes is using her highway improvement allowance to part-fund a flashing 20mph sign at Westfield school in Watton. Picture: Matthew Usher. - Credit: Archant
Each morning and afternoon the otherwise quiet roads around Westfield Infant and Nursery School in Watton become clogged with traffic as parents drop off and pick up children.
People living beside the school have urging more to be done to tackle long-running problems with traffic and parents' parking.
Now an illuminated speed warning sign is to be put up near the school in an effort to improve safety on the narrow residential roads.
Claire Bowes, county councillor for Watton, has offered to contribute half the funding towards the cost of the sign, using part of her members allowance for small highway improvements.
Westfield School in Watton has experienced problems with traffic and parking. Picture: Simon Parkin - Credit: Simon Parkin
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She said: 'The sign is a safety measure for outside Westfield School and recommended in a police report. It has the full support of local police constable Austin Clarke and Helen Kemp, headteacher of the school.
'The safety of children at and around the school is a priority and I am pleased to be able to fund half the cost of the sign through my local member's budget, the other 50% will be funded by Norfolk County Council through its Parish Partnership Scheme.
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'In order for a community to take advantage of the Parish Partnership Scheme a parish council has to make the application and Watton Town Council agreed to do so at their recent meeting. The application will be made in the current round.'
Watton Town Clerk Jane Scarrott said: 'We are hopeful of going ahead with a flashing speed sign outside Westfield Junior School.
'The parking at the school is very much an issue. This sign won't specifically help with that but it will bring attention to the traffic issues in the area and make people think about their speed.
'If we can't address the parking so easily, we can do something to lower speeds and make the children safer.'
The school recently wrote to parents warning that pupils are being put at risk by dangerous parking.
The warning sign is the first of two planned road safety improvements. The second phase will provide highway entrance gates along Thetford Road.
