GETTING to school should become safer for hundreds of children with the creation of a new 20mph zone.

A package of traffic calming measures and speed restrictions has been agreed for the roads around Sylvan First School and Branksome Heath Middle School in Parkstone.

Sarah Lee, head teacher at Sylvan, said: “We are pleased that the traffic calming measures and speed reduction have been approved. We encourage our children and families to walk to school and want to ensure they can do so as safely as possible.”

Branksome Heath had hosted a meeting between the council and the schools to help draw up the plans, while Sylvan had held a meeting for parents of both schools.

Branksome head Stuart Fox said: “We all agree that the key issue is to have the roads between the schools as safe as possible and the reduction in speed will be another contribution to improving this.”

Part of Livingstone Road is a private road belonging to the education department. Council officials are investigating whether it would be legal to install a gate that could occasionally be closed.

Mr Fox said: “There was some support for a permanent barrier across the Uppleby end of Livingstone Road, but with access considerations it was felt that closing the road could only be on an occasional basis.”

He said the school was hoping to create a new entrance at Uppleby Road to ease the pressure on Livingstone Road.

Poole council’s Newtown and Parkstone area committee backed the scheme despite objections from some residents.

Poole council senior transport engineer Steve Dean told the committee that 20mph zones had to be supported by traffic calming.

“The police say they will not support 20mph zones unless there are physical measures in there,” he said.

Newtown councillor Brian Clements said he was “by and large happy with the restrictions”.

The committee agreed to the package, subject to ward councillors visiting Sylvan Road to iron out some of the details regarding double yellow lines.

• THE 20mph limit covers parts of Cranbrook Road, Grove Road, Lawson Road, Livingstone Road and Uppleby Road, and all of Bassett Road, Burley Road, Shirley Road and Sylvan Road. Parking restrictions include extending zig-zags in Sylvan and Livingstone Roads, speed cushions in Uppleby Road and parking restrictions in Cranbrook, Sylvan, Livingstone and Grove Roads.