A father-of-three is calling for action to tackle the dangers facing his daughter as she walks to school across Moray’s busiest road.
Alves engineer Alan Taylor lives on the opposite side of the A96 Inverness road from the village’s primary school.
Yesterday the 43-year-old revealed he had considered using the school bus to send his children to class – despite living just yards away from the building.
Now Mr Taylor is campaigning to improve safety on the route after reporting concerns of dangerous driving to police and roads bosses.
He said: “A pedestrian crossing is something that should be looked at. There are times we stand on the island for minutes not able to get across because the traffic can stretch back two miles.
“There’s also a problem with drivers using filter lanes as an excuse to overtake cars sticking to the limit. It’s not everyone, maybe just 1%, but there’s a lot of cars on that road, it stacks up.
“We’ve thought about using the school bus to send our children there but it seems stupid when we’re just the other side of the road.”
Mr Taylor’s nine-year-old daughter Chloe attends the primary school. His eldest Michaela also crosses the road after being dropped off by a school bus from Forres Academy. His youngest Alanna is one.
Last night Bear Scotland said they would investigate his concerns.
Chris Dobbs, business partner at Cinderella Fabrics in the village, is also eager to see extra measures brought in to encourage traffic to slow down.
He said: “Flashing lights to make drivers aware of the school is certainly something that could be looked at. It can be quite daunting for children crossing at that road.”
The Alves resident revealed delivery vans at the firm took extra measures to avoid having to cross both carriageways to join the A96.
However, his fellow business partner, Nanette Cameron, was not so sure extreme action was necessary.
She added: “Maybe it’s my perspective, but I don’t think the road’s as busy as it has been in the past – certainly when you compare it with motorways. I do think it needs traffic calming
measures though.”
A Bear Scotland spokeswoman said: “We have received notification of Mr Taylor’s concerns regarding road markings and speed limits near Alves School.
“We are currently reviewing the concerns raised and will contact Mr Taylor this week to discuss in greater detail.”
