Edinburgh mother pleads for road safety improvements after son knocked over on way to school

Nadia Cunden, who has two children at South Morningside Primary, said too many parents were frightened every day when they took children to school.

Presenting a petition to the council’s transport and environment committee, she claimed their daily journey to school was unsafe, with signs hidden by bushes, bins blocking drivers' and pedestrians' view and a shortage of lollipop patrols.

Parents are asking for immediate action to improve road safety outside South Morningside Primary

She told the committee: "I was shocked on Tuesday 24 September - my son was on his way to school on his scooter, it was 8.41am, and when he was given the go-ahead by his dad to cross the road a van turned from Comiston Road into Morningside Drive and knocked my son over.

"Half his body was under the bonnet of that van. The driver said he did not see my son.

"That day my son was wearing a helmet and his scooter took most of the hit. That incident could have had a totally different outcome, which still keeps me awake at night.

"We were very lucky, but we need to act now to ensure we do not witness a fatality and the school community or residents of South Morningside."

She said there were near misses every day and outlined "immediate low-cost solutions" she hoped could be implemented - such as "a school sign, preferably with flashing lights, to tell drivers they are entering a school zone" and encourage them to reduce their speed, moving the bins from the junction of Morningside Drive and recruiting two crossing guards. one at Morningside Drive and one at Greenbank Drive.

She said her petition had attracted 201 signatures from individuals as well as the support of 14 businesses.

Councillors voiced sympathy for Ms Cunden over her son's accident and agreed to have a site visit to see the situation for themselves.

Officials said they were looking to get bins moved from Morningside early next year. There were also moves to designate Craiglea Drive a "school street" and make junction improvements at the foot of Morningside Drive.

Earlier, Ed Hawkins from campaign group Blackhall Safe Routes had called on the council to introduce a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Morningsde.

He told the committee: “There approximately 85,00 children travelling around Edinburgh every day, mostly to schools and nurseries, but also to and form activities before and after school. There have been numerous crashes in the Morningside are involving drivers and pedestrians, resulting in near misses, injuries and death.”

He claimed there was “increasing evidence” that some of these were the result of poor street design. “Edinburgh’s roads can be designed better to protect people. We would like the council to be bolder and reduce danger at source. We propose the council takes a ‘right first time’ approach and implements a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).”

He said LTNs had been shown to halve the number of road injuries, halve the number of journeys by vehicles, with little impact on boundary roads, improve air quality, reduce street crime and support wildlife.