A PETITION to lower the speed limit on a road near The King’s School in Chester is nearing its latest goal of 15,000 signatures.

The A483 Wrexham Road was recently the scene of a collision which resulted in the death of 11-year-old Evan Rothwell earlier this month.

The road currently has a 40mph speed limit, but more than 12,500 residents have signed the petition calling this to be reduced to 30mph near the Roman Crescent junction.

The petition, started by Michael O’Neill and Jessica Garner, has three main aims:

  1. Implement an immediate, temporary 30mph limit on this section of Wrexham Road.
  2. Proactively work with the school and local community to implement permanent changes to this junction to further reduce risks.
  3. In future, proactively include representations from the local community in risk assessments, rather than rely on third party views and a future accident rate.

The petition details changes which were made to the junction in 2022, to allow for a new housing estate, which included a crossroad near the entrance to The King’s School.

The organisers state: “Once opened, it became clear to any pedestrian who was a regular user of the crossing that it had created a very high risk situation for pedestrians. In particular the usage by the junction pupils from the 1,100 pupil Kings School at peak times was an obvious concern.”

Chester North and Neston MP, Sam Dixon, had raised this issue with Cheshire West and Chester Council, with a spokesperson for the Council responding prior to the fatal incident.

The Council stated at that time that it was following advice from the Department for Transport (DfT) and that the current 40mph speed limit was supported by Cheshire Police.

It added that is also has a separate criterion to the DfT for outside schools, where average speeds must be below 30mph before a 20mph limit can be introduced.

It added in a letter: "The average speed on Wrexham Road during the assessment was 36 mph reducing to 32 mph at the start and finish of the school day.  There are no locations in the borough where the speed limit is reduced just for school times as we consider this not practical.

“The section of Wrexham Road around the Kings School has a good safety record with no recorded injury collisions since the new signals became operational in May 2022. The highways team will continue to monitor this location.”

A spokesperson for the Council said this week: "Cheshire West and Chester is working in conjunction with Cheshire Police to ensure a fair and robust investigation is undertaken into the collision on Wrexham Road which resulted in the tragic death of Evan Rothwell.

"We are unable to comment further until this investigation has concluded. However, we remain in constant contact with Cheshire Police and are complying fully with our legal duties and responsibilities."

Jessica Garner said: "Our Message to the local authority is please engage with the community to do everything you can to introduce the lower speed limit without further delay. We cannot fathom how after such a tragedy, they are not prioritising risk mitigation and using their powers to lower the speed limit immediately whilst the police and coroner complete their investigations.

"We ask them to work with the community to ensure that further safety approaches are made as soon as practical. Through a collaborative and face to face consultation process. No more hiding in offices.

"We thank each and every one of your readers who has supported this campaign, shared their stories with us and passed on the petition to others. It’s a massive display of community spirit."

For more information, the petition is available to view and sign at Change.org.