An everyday walking charity is calling for a 20 mph limit across Cardiff to encourage more children and parents to walk to school.
Rachel Maycock, manager of Living Streets in Wales said: “I don’t think the roads across Cardiff are safe enough. Whilst we have seen some pilots for 20 miles per hour, we really want to see the whole of the city become 20 miles per hour”
She was speaking to CJS News after Welsh Government released statistics showing the number of primary school children walking to school had fallen from 50% in 2013-14 to 42% in 2016-17.
“I think if there was a city-wide 20 miles per hour limit, it would be much clearer for drivers and it would encourage people to walk and cycle more and it would mean our traffic flows better through the city because you haven’t got people rushing to the traffic lights and slamming on their breaks,” Ms Maycock added.
“It would just mean a much steadier flow through the city”, she added.
Darren Lewis, a lollipop man in the Whitchurch area of Cardiff says parents and children need to be “extremely vigilant” on their walk to school in areas where 20 miles per hour zones are yet to be introduced.
“We have noticed that more children are encouraged to come to school on foot, by scooter or on bike for health and activity reasons. But sometimes the children come to the lights without looking and the roads are so dangerous you have to be hyper-aware.”
Cardiff council said: “Cardiff Council is committed to improving the safety on the city’s roads and encouraging increasing the use of sustainable forms of transport by implementing more 20mph areas around the city.”
Councillor Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport added: “This scheme is being implemented to improve our street scene, make the roads safer and encourage more people to leave their cars at home so they consider using public transport, walking or cycling.”
