Cllr Robert Marshall and school children launch the scheme

Youngsters set the pace of road safety

Youngsters from Perton First and Perton Sandown First will be getting the Perton Set the Pace scheme off to a start as the first of its type to cut speeds on local roads.

The aim is for local motorists to take control of their roads and cut speeding without the need for other costly and controversial traffic calming methods.

Project Engineer Simon Cartledge said: "This is the first time a Set the Pace scheme has been undertaken is in Staffordshire. We have high hopes that the people of Perton will make this a great success."

The project was conceived after a Safer Routes to School Scheme revealed youngsters and their parents all thought traffic travelled too fast on village roads. In many cases children cited speeding as the main reason they did not cycle or walk to school.

Simon added: "A picture emerged of a speed problem, but not necessarily an accident problem. The perception of speed made people feel uncomfortable about their roads."

Set the Pace operates by local motorists taking a pledge to stick within the speed limit on village roads, and those taking part can display high-visibility stickers in their vehicles. Their good driving will regulate the speed of others who want to driver faster than the speed limit and make other local motorists more aware of the speed at which they travel.

The scheme is supported by local member Robert Marshall, the police and village schools.

Cllr Marshal said: "This scheme is unique in the County. Most drivers in Perton are responsible, but unfortunately there are a small minority who use excessive speed, either deliberately or unwittingly.

"The Set the Pace scheme is a way of raising awareness of speed on village roads without resorting to measures like speed ramps, which are successful at cutting accidents but are often unpopular with drivers and can be very expensive.

"We hope this scheme can make people in the village, and particularly the children, feel safer on our roads."

Simon added: "The proof of this pudding will be in the eating. We surveyed speeds on local roads recently and we will do so again in a few months to see if they have dropped. We are very hopeful."

People who want to sign up to Set the Pace can get leaflets from a variety of local sources, including schools, the library, the civic centre and doctor's surgeries.

Some speeding facts:

Speed affects the chances of survival remarkably if a pedestrian is in collision with a car:

• At 40mph nine out of 10 pedestrians are killed
• At 30 mph eight out of 10 pedestrians survive