I SUSPECT most people find themselves agreeing with many of the views made on both sides of the debate about speed limits past schools.

On the one hand something must be done about the level of deaths and serious injuries where speed has been a factor, but on the other hand this must be achieved in such a way that does not further alienate motorists.

The solution must surely lie in some more joined-up thinking, which is sadly lacking in most aspects of transport planning in this country.

Friends of the Earth touched on one irony; the increasing tendency of parents to use their cars for the school run because the roads have become too dangerous to walk on.

The other irony is that a high proportion of motorists to whom a 20mph speed limit would apply are those delivering their children to school in a hurry at the last minute, jostling for roadside space outside the school, parking/ pulling out inconsiderately and so on.

These hazards are every bit as dangerous as the speed factor itself, if not more so.

Clearly, imposition of 20mph speed restrictions will improve safety outside many, if not most, schools.

I declare an interest in that I have children at my local primary, where even 20mph would make little difference because non-school traffic finds it almost impossible to negotiate the congestion described at anywhere near that speed.

But there is also the inescapable fact that, for all but a couple of hours on about 190 days a year, the risks being controlled are simply not present.

So let us not knee-jerk and go for a quick fix which costs just a few pounds in permanent "20" signs and the paperwork granting a catch-all speed order.

Let us think this through properly, decide each case on its merits, and make use of technology to impose legally-enforceable temporary speed limits.

If it can be done for motorway contraflows, it can surely be done on a similar basis at schools.

We already have readily recognisable "Patrol" flashing amber signals, switched on when required. Why not make them universal and also to enforce an indicated speed limit when the signals show? It's not rocket science. If it would need a change in the law so be it, but it will be got right first time.

Tim Mayo

Sutton Road, Kington Langley