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Belfast Healthy Cities

Our vision is that Belfast is recognised globally
as a healthy, equitable and sustainable city

Healthy Cities 21st Century

20mph school zones essential for 'safety & wellbeing of children' - Belfast Healthy Cities

Belfast Healthy Cities, the World Health Organization representative in Belfast, has welcomed the announcement that 100 schools across Northern Ireland will be part of a new 20mph zone project.

 

Speaking after the announcement Joan Devlin, Chief Executive of Belfast Healthy Cities, said “We are delighted that 100 schools will be benefiting from the introduction of new 20mph zones. Working with Queen’s University, Belfast, and a number of Universities across the UK, Belfast Healthy Cities has been part of the ‘Is 20 plenty for health’ research project, which has looked at the impact of 20mph roads in key locations. This work has shown a clear and tangible benefit from these zones, particularly for the safety and wellbeing of children.

 

“It is extremely important that all public spaces are made as safe as possible for all pedestrians, particularly children, and this has been a key aspect of our work on Child Friendly Places. This includes the areas surrounding our schools. Slowing of traffic and ensuring the most appropriate signage and crossing points are essential in these places, and we hope that we can share the findings of this project with the Department for Infrastructure to ensure that the best outcome for school children is delivered.”