Last week, a four year child and her mother were killed by a speeding car on the Scott Hall Road. They were just walking to school on a Monday morning. Later that week, a pupil at Carr Manor Secondary school was hospitalised after he was knocked over by a van.

The A61 runs through multiple housing estates and is flanked by several schools. Yet it is frequently used as a race track by speeding drivers. Last year, I wrote to Leeds City Centre to ask for the limit to be reduced from 40mph, ideally to 20mph and argued that the 40mph created a permissive environment for reckless, aggressive driving. I then wrote: Please do not let a child's funeral be a catalyst for this change.

That funeral will now take place.

Leeds City Council replied that 40mph was compliant with Department of Transport's recommendations. But the people of Leeds deserve their say and we know parents want their children to walk to school in safety. The A61 is just one dual carriageway that bisects our city, making it one of the most car-privileged cities in the UK. Many other local authorities have blanket 20mph zones in urban areas.  Reducing all traffic to the 20mph limit can reduce climate-harming CO2 and people-harming NOx by more than 25% compared to 30mph. The time to act is now for a greener, safer Leeds.