CHILDREN from a Kings Furlong School urged councillors to make major changes to roads near their school by submitting a petition at a full council meeting last week. 

Students Faith, Layla and Harrison, who attend Kings Furlong Junior School and are part of its road safety initiative, were granted time to speak in the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) offices to the full council.

Since the school has expanded, problems have arisen around it with more cars parking in inappropriate places and driving too fast in the area.

The pupils, who act as junior road safety officers within the school, have been gaining signatures on a petition calling for the council and appropriate bodies to change the speed limit around the Upper Chestnut Drive site from 30mph to 20mph. 

They also want more enforcement officers to ensure people no longer park on the sides of roads where they should not.

Addressing the chamber, Harrison said: “Does it concern you when cars are driving too fast and children are present? 

“We’re here to ask for you to introduce a speed limit of 20 on Portacre Rise and Packenham Road, and we have a petition by 250 people in favour of this.”

Layla said: “Packenham Road and Portacre Rise are roads around the school where young people and families use the crossing – ‘20 is plenty’ is certainly true on these roads.”

Faith added: “Further The roads are quite narrow and driving at 30 is dangerous, especially when there are children present and cars are driving on the road.”

The petition was received by Cllr Roger Gardiner, a member of the North Hampshire Area Road Safety Council, who will pass it to representatives on Hampshire County Council.

Before they spoke at the meeting, the students met BDBC’s mayor, Cllr Jane Frankum, to talk about what it is like to be mayor, as well as their petition.

They were accompanied by parents and the school’s headteacher, Charles Applegate.

Cllr Mike Westbrook, who arranged for the students to talk at the meeting, said: “The children were great – they did an excellent job and their parents are really proud of them.

“This is the beginning of the process for them but they did well and what they put together on their own in their speech for the mayor was good as well. I don’t think I could have done it at their age.”

He added: “They were brave to stand up and say what they wanted to a full council, but this will be something they will be able to look back at in a few years’ time and hopefully think what good they did.”