Road Safety: Schools

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Again, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Jardine. I thank the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth) for securing this debate. Every hon. Member’s contribution will be constructive, but I want to tell those present in Westminster Hall what we are doing in Northern Ireland, because we are doing the very things that the hon. Lady has asked for.

Road safety is a topical subject. I am a vocal supporter of the 20 mph speed limit near schools in Northern Ireland. I pushed for that in my constituency and have been successful in getting those schemes.

Schools have also been promoting the walk to school scheme. One of my local schools, Victoria primary school in Newtownards, has been taking part in a phenomenal scheme where children get points for their house team if they walk, cycle or scoot to school. For those who have to drive, there are points for those who park on the main road and walk a section. That is an exciting way of getting children to incorporate exercise into their daily life and into their mindset. The key question for parents is: are my children safe walking to school? They will not consider walking if cars are zooming by at 30, 40 or 50 mph, as the hon. Lady referred to.

It is enough that the benefits of a safe school environment mean that no child is needlessly injured, or worse, when heading to school, but there are other benefits that we need to consider. In Northern Ireland, we have managed to save half a million pounds in a year from families doing the school run on foot, scooter or bike instead of by car, with schools participating in the Sustrans Active School Travel programme.

At the end of 2023, the number of children travelling actively to participating schools increased from 30% to 42%, the number of pupils being driven to school fell from 60% to 47%, and the number of children completing physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day increased from 29% to 46%. This is not just a road safety issue; it is an educational issue as well.

I am pleased to see the Minister in her place; she always responds positively to our requests. The matter is devolved, but I am trying to put forward what we are doing in Northern Ireland as a suggestion for what needs to be done to back up the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury, who secured this debate. My colleague Michelle McIlveen MLA played a massive part in that scheme in her position on the Committee for Infrastructure and as a Minister. She and I represent the same constituency in different places: she in the Assembly and me here.

A vehicle travelling at 20 mph would stop in time to avoid a child running out three car lengths in front. The same vehicle travelling at 25 mph would hit the child at 18 mph. That is roughly the same impact as a child falling from an upstairs window to the ground—probably, in most cases, concrete. The greater the impact speed, the greater the chance of death. A pedestrian hit at 30 mph has a significant—one in five—chance of being killed. If the speed goes up to 35 mph, that chance is one in three. My point is that the lower the speed, the more the chance of surviving.

We need to ensure that safety is paramount. When we can encourage more people to consider not driving to school, it is better for the environment, better physically, and better for wee minds. Ultimately, the hon. Member for Chester South and Eddisbury put forward a case to make it safer for children outside schools. I support her and wish her well in the campaign. I very much look forward to the Minister’s contribution, and that of the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith), as well.