Many local residents have expressed deep concern about the safety of children travelling to and from school in Ackworth, whether they attend Bell Lane, Mill Dam, Ackworth Howard or Oakfield Park. The issue of inconsiderate parking outside these schools has been brought up on many occasions but there is a far more worrying issue - namely, the speed limit outside these schools, which currently stands at 30mph.

If a child is hit by a car travelling at 30mph, there is a 50% chance they will be killed. At 20mph, this falls to just 10%. We, the below, believe that a 30mph limit outside our local schools is absolutely unacceptable, and that the safety and well-being of our children must be prioritised. Furthermore, reducing the limit to 20mph would in no way inconvenience drivers, disrupt the flow of traffic or cause any kind of congestion in the village.

Typically, councils deem it unnecessary to reduce the speed limit on roads if they have been accident-free for a lengthy period, but since suggesting this petition I have been inundated with stories from local people of 'near misses' involving their children or grandchildren, of drivers seen regularly breaking the speed limit, and drivers driving recklessly during peak school hours. We believe it is a matter of time before a child is seriously hurt or even killed and that prevention is better than cure.