Edinburgh's Craiglockhart Primary School parents look to bid for council cash to make children's route to school safer

A long-promised crossing point outside Craiglockhart Primary School in Ashley Terrace is due to be installed next year. But it is only a "build out" of the pavement rather than a fully-fledged pedestrian crossing and parents fear it might not be enough to slow down traffic. However, they don't want to delay the project any longer by pressing for an upgrade.

And now they could expand their campaign to other parts of the routes children take to the school, for example nearby Harrison Road, to see if they can secure safety improvements there.

Craiglockhart Primary School on Ashley Terrace - the build-out for the crossing point is due to be built where the bins now stand on the left of the picture. | Google

They are considering applying to the council's Local Traffic Improvement (LTI) programme, which has an annual £500,000 pot of money for schemes to improve road safety and accessibility for all road users.

Concerns about road safety in the area have been fuelled by a recent accident in which an 80-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when she was hit by a car on Ashley Terrace. It sparked a protest against speeding motorists, with parents and other residents standing in the road.

Lynsey Houston, chair of the Craiglockhart Primary parents council, said Ashley Terrace was a busy road, made even busier by the current closure of the Harrison Road railway bridge, which means a lot more traffic diverting onto Ashley Terrace.

She said: "We want children to be independent, and as they get older we would want them to make their own way to school, but at the moment it doesn't feel safe to do that."

She thinks some people are going to be disappointed when what appears outside the school is not a pelican-style crossing. "I think a lot of residents are expecting it to be an official crossing because it has been referred to as a crossing, but actually it's just a crossing point.

Conservative councillor Christopher Cowdy outside the school | supplied

“What the council has promised is a build-out from one side of the street on Ashley Terrace. It will improve visibility because it's going to stop cars from being parked on either side. So it's helpful, but it's not really going to slow traffic down at all."

She said the council's plan also included a second crossing point on Ashley Terrace near the corner with Harrison Gardens, where there will be build-outs on both sides of the road, which she thinks might be more likely to slow traffic down.

But she continued: "I think the LTI programme is definitely worth a look. It's not something the parent council could take on by itself, but I've just created a Facbook group with another local resident to see if we could collectively apply for something, either to improve the Ashley Terrace situation or look at measures on Harrison Road, the next street across, which is also part of the route to school.

"I feel the council has oversold their permit parking there and there is literally no space to cross, so it's always between parked cars and there's no drop in the kerb - it's a road the council have completely neglected.

“While we've focused on Ashley Terrace because it’s the road the school is on, I'm keen to look at the wider catchment because it affects more than just one street.”

Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart Conservative councillor Christopher Cowdy said a pedestrian crossing had been promised for the school for over 10 years.

"Delivery of the pedestrian crossing is a painfully slow process,” he said. “Even when the crossing is delivered it is woefully below what is needed as it is simply a build-out of the pavement on one side of the road and not the fully signalised crossing that locals want.

"However there is a real worry that to change plans now could mean starting the process from scratch and getting nothing for another 10 years, so the community supports the current plan, but also want further improvements.

“I’ve been encouraging them to apply for the LTI programme and come up with another project to help road safety.”

Ian Doig, chair of Merchiston and District Community Council, which applied successfully for the LTI programme to fund the replacement of the Polwarth roundabout, said there was widespread concern about road safety in the area. And he suggested parents could join forces with others to press the case for action.

He said: “There is a lot of diverted traffic and a lot of complaints about speeding. The head of the Steiner school said he also has concerns about traffic around his school, which is just round the corner.

“The school is not alone in this and residents are also complaining about road safety issues in that area. A local group of residents and the school community would be effective. That’s what worked for us with the Polwarth project - extensive outreach and communication with residents and local businesses, cycling interests and so on- and that powered a compelling case to the city council.”