Mum of Liverpool boy killed by van outside school slams PM's 20mph attack
Bobby Colleran was just six years old when he died in 2014
The mum of a Liverpool boy who was killed after being hit by a van has described the Prime Minister's plan to stop blanket 20mph zones as 'mind-boggling'.
Joanne Colleran's six-year-old son Bobby died after being struck outside his school in West Derby in 2014.
Jo has campaigned since then to improve road safety for children - the Bobby Colleran Trust was set up to shine a light on the dangers and to instigate safety improvements.
20mph 'Bobby Zones' are in place outside several schools in Merseyside.
Last week, Rishi Sunak said he wants to stop 'hare-brained' road calming safety measures, including 20mph zones, and to end what he calls a 'war on motorists'.
That promoted Joanne Colleran to publish a video on social media.
Joanne said:
"Every day when I travel to and from school, it's frightening. Our city is really bad and basically, the 20mph speed limit stops people being killed or seriously injured, so why anyone would not support it I will never ever know.
"I have never seen anything as bad since the kids went back in September"
"We campaign all the time and I physically do the school run. I get lots of emails from other parents, schools with their concerns and I have never seen anything as bad as I have this year since the kids went back in September. It's awful.
"It frightens me before I even leave the house if I see the weather is bad, because I know it will be even worse again that day.
"It's frightening to think that we're putting our kids in that much danger, simply by taking them to and from school.
"He should be here"
"My little boy was the most loveliest, precious little boy in the whole world. He should be here, he should be here now with me, so for him to not support keeping our kids safe is an insult to him, more than anything, because he lost his life and we campaign from that to try and make it a better place.
The default speed limit for most residential roads in Wales was cut to 20mph last month - the government there said the aim was to save lives and make communities safer.
Ann McKenna, trustee at the Bobby Colleran Trust, said:
"What is the difference in thinking between Rishi (Sunak) and not having the 20mph zones and Wales, who've just implemented it?
"Where is Rishi getting his information from that it doesn't matter, it doesn't make a difference, when we've got Wales who has implemented it because they've found the statistics that support that."
West Derby MP Ian Byrne has long supported the Trust's road safety efforts.
He said:
"The Prime Minister also needs to be listening to families and not just pressure groups and trying to create this sort of culture war.
"I'm so proud to be working alongside (the Bobby Colleran Trust), I'm so proud of Liverpool City Council that are now working with this organisation to work with tandem with to make our roads safer for our children.
"Be under no illusion - the amount of emails that we get in about people who are terrified for the safety of their kids, the amount of trouble that it's causing between communities where people are taking umbridge with drivers who are parking dangerously. It's a recipe for disaster.
"We had a meeting with the city council about eight weeks ago and that plan was outlined to them about what Jo and the Bobby Colleran Trust wants to do. For me as an MP it's a no-brainer - I just want to keep supporting them, keep working with them, keeping doing what we're doing to underpin their efforts, but it's their efforts.
"They're not going to stop until our streets are safer and all power to them.
"This is not just a Liverpool issue, it's a national issue.
"When the Prime Minister enters that fray, he also needs to deeply think about is people like Joanne and Joanne's family, and not just listen to these powerful lobbies who seem to be dominating politics at the moment.
"I'd rather listen to Joanne than a powerful car lobby."
The Department for Transport said guidance would be reviewed on 20mph limits 'to prevent their blanket use in areas where it’s not appropriate.'