Petition for 20mph speed limit after near-miss

Thatcham mother collects signatures outside Whitelands School after five-year-old daughter was almost hit by car

THE mother of a Thatcham girl who was almost hit by a car on the way to Whitelands Park Primary School is petitioning for the speed limit outside the school to be lowered.

Jennifer Hudson, of Mersey Way, said that her daughter, Jocelyn aged five, was almost knocked over as they walked to the school in Sagecroft Road, earlier this month.

Mrs Hudson has since collected signatures from parents outside the school in order to petition West Berkshire Council to alter the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph in Sagecroft Road and to install a pedestrian crossing outside the school.

She also intends to collect name from those who live in neighbouring roads.

She said: “I'm not prepared to sit back after what happened to my daughter.

"I don't know how many near misses there have been but I cannot just leave it.

“The council needs to take more responsibility and the community needs to stand up and say we need to protect our children.

"It's a very busy road for there not to be any safety measures.”

Mrs Hudson added that Whitelands Park was one of few schools in West Berkshire that did not have a reduced speed limit.

“I'm trying to get the community together to present this petition to the council,” she said.

“The other parents have been nothing but supportive, as everyone has the same concerns.”

West Berkshire councillor Keith Woodhams (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) has been helping Mrs Hudson.

He said: “Mrs Hudson's daughter was a whisker away from being knocked down by a car while crossing Sagecroft Road. This was a terrible and upsetting experience for the whole family.

“It is also a wake-up call for West Berkshire Council to take urgent and effective measures to make the surrounding roads leading to the school safer for children to cross.

“There should also be a strategic plan for residential areas to have 20mph speed limits, with the newly-appointed road safety constable co-ordinating speed enforcement with the local police and community support officers.”

Mr Woodhams will present the petition, with more than 200 signatures so far, to West Berkshire Council in December.