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Safer Routes in Communities – Mountain Lane School Buckley

Published: 13/03/2019

^{Cllr Dennis Hutchinson, Cllr Mike Peers, Mountain Lane CP headteacher Iona Walker, Cllr Jeanne Hutchinson, Road Safety Officer for FCC Claire Parry, Cllr Carolyn Thomas and pupils Sophie, Jay, Archie and Jess cross the road safely with the new zebra crossing. Picture by Jane Widdowson}

Flintshire County Council was successful in obtaining funding from Welsh Government to address road safety concerns and congestion on Knowle Lane, Church Road and Linthorpe Road Buckley, for the benefit of the community and children attending Mountain Lane Primary School.

The scheme, which is now complete and operational, has introduced numerous benefits including making walking, scooting and cycling more accessible for pupils and the wider community.

The completed works are:

• 20mph mandatory speed limit;
• a ‘one way’ system (except for Cyclists) along Knowle Lane;
• zebra crossing at the front of the main school building on a raised table;
• parking restrictions along the length of Knowle Lane to resolve the issue of indiscriminate parking;
• signalised crossing to replace the previous zebra crossing;
• improvements to the footpath, introducing a 3m wide shared use footway/ cycleway through the common. 

Cabinet member for Flintshire County Council Streetscene and Transportation, Councillor Carolyn Thomas said:

“I am pleased that Flintshire Council Streetscene officers were able to obtain this Welsh Government grant funding, combining it with developer contributions and council resurfacing funds to do a greater scheme. The Active Travel element will improve safety and encourage children and families to walk, cycle and use their scooters to travel to school.

“Community links have also been improved in the wider area.  Congestion and safety is a huge issue round schools as is pollution.  Time together as families is valuable and some of the best times are when walking and chatting together.”

Safer Routes to School funding supports infrastructure developments around school catchment areas and clusters to make it easier for pupils to walk, scooter and cycle to school safely.

Welsh Government recognises the importance of active travel and the positive health benefits that come with using sustainable forms of travel for short everyday journeys.  It wants to make walking and cycling the most natural and normal way of getting about to help people improve their health, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to address poverty and disadvantage.

At the same time, Welsh Government also want to help the economy to grow, and take steps to unlock sustainable economic growth. This can be done through more people walking and cycling, as it will reduce congestion, reduce the number of days lost through sickness and support the cycling and tourism industries in Wales.

The Active Travel (Wales) Bill will enable more people to choose active travel as an alternative to motorised travel. In this way, more people will have the opportunity to build physical activity into their daily lives.