Plans unveiled for safer routes to school in Edinburgh

CHANGES are to be made to roads and pavements on school routes in a bid to improve safety for pupils as they return to classes.

The council has unveiled plans for four primary schools, which include temporary road closures, wider pavements and increased cycle parking.

City transport and environment convener Lesley Macinnes said: “Our interventions on school routes will give more room for families and children to travel on foot, bike and wheels safely, particularly in areas where the public have told us they need more room.”

The measures proposed at Murrayburn Primary School are to close Sighthill Loan between 8am and 9am; open a gate on Sighthill Gardens for parents to exit the school; paint yellow lines on junctions around the school; remove a damaged guardrail on Sighthill Gardens; and increase the pavement width on Sighthill Gardens.

At Gylemuir Primary School the proposals to aid safe travel to school are: gates to school to be made one way to assist with social distancing for parents; a “Park Smart” campaign to deter parents from dropping children off at the school gates; and increased bike and scooter parking to be discussed with school.

Proposed measures at Broomhouse and St Joseph’s Primary Schools include opening of a gate on Broomhouse Crescent to playing fields and negotiating a “Park and Stride” site in the car park at St David’s Church.

And at Carrickknowe Primary School, it is proposed that hedges and bushes along Lampacre Road are cut back to increase pavement space on the route to school.

The council said all feedback will be reviewed and where possible the schemes will be further refined, but it added it would be unable to respond to individual emails.

Feedback will be summarised in an assessment feedback form which will be presented to the Council Incident Management Team for approval.