SPEED cushion plans have brought protests from residents who claim stricter parking controls would be more useful near a primary school.

Highways and road safety leaders say traffic calming measures, including a 20 miles per hour speed limit and road humps, would improve on estate roads serving Tyldesley Primary School.

But people who live in the vicinity of the Ennerdale Road school have protested to Wigan Council about plans to install the humps.

Jim Stott of Stour Road told the Journal:"Nobody objects to the introduction and enforcement of a 20 miles per hour speed limit on the roads near the school as it is aimed at road safety.

"We do not want to see any child injured.

"Rather than introduce speed cushions on the road it might be a good idea to improve the traffic situation when parents are dropping off or collecting pupils from school.

"They park at the front of the school, sometimes halfway on the pavement and often on a bad bend in the road. It would improve the situation if parents could use the school car park rather than park on the road."

A Council spokesman said: "A public consultation leaflet was issued on October 14. A total of 392 leaflets were distributed to residents in the immediate area and the school pupils. All residents and businesses within the affected are received a leaflet as well as residents on the periphery.

"Sixty seven leaflets were returned giving a response rate of 17%, which is a typical response rate for traffic calming schemes. The original consultation in 2001 had a response rate of 15.8%. We also received a petition against the scheme and another petition requesting an extension to the scheme.

"Of the returned leaflets 61 expressed an opinion either for or against the scheme. Seventy five per cent of those were in favour of the scheme as advertised.

"If only the votes of residents directly affected by the scheme are counted, the level of support is 62.5% for and 37.5% against.

"While this gives us a clear majority in favour of the scheme, we wish to ensure that the scheme is acceptable to as many residents as possible.

"Therefore we are assessing the comments contained within the consultation and where a consultee has raised an issue with a particular part of the scheme we are investigating possible amendments.

"A final decision on the whole scheme will only be made when we have discussed changes with the individual residents concerned."