PARENTS claim their children’s lives are being put at risk as they walk to school alongside Moray’s busiest trunk road.
Pupils at East End Primary in Elgin have to run the gauntlet of the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen route to reach classes.
And there are growing fears it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident.
Worried families have now won the backing of the local authority in their battle to persuade roads chiefs to take urgent action.
Transport Scotland is considering installing a crossing right outside the school – but locals say more drastic measures are needed.
Dawn Smith walks children Luke Smith and Carmen Hind – who are P2 and P4 pupils at East End – from Barlink Road to the school every day.
The concerned mother said: “We are putting our children’s lives at risk having to walk down the A96 to get them to school, but there’s no other walkway to get them there.
“There are several parts along the road that should be made safer, there is so much traffic and it’s especially dangerous at junctions.
“This is something parents often talk about, it’s a thorn in everyone’s side.”
Mrs Smith said that when she previously lived in Lossiemouth she allowed Luke and Carmen to walk to school by themselves – but she would be “terrified” to let them make the journey to East End unsupervised.
Sarah Candy accompanies her six-year-old daughter Sophie to and from the school every day, and described the walk as “scary”.
She said: “I really do worry for Sophie, with all the big lorries going past.
“It’s a scary walk down, and it’s not safe for them.
“Even something like installing railings along the pavement would make me feel a lot better.”
Chairwoman of the primary’s parent council, Louise Yaxley, said: “At the moment there is a school crossing patroller, which drivers do take notice of, but I think it would be much safer if there was some sort of actual crossing with lights there.
“Our concerns are the safety of the children and it would be awful if it took an accident for action to be taken on this.”
Moray Council’s transport manager, Nicola Moss, said: “It’s clear that there are concerns about walking to school along the A96.
“We have previously approached Transport Scotland to see if improvements can be made, but we are yet to be successful with that.
“There is a school crossing patroller at East End but there are discussions with Transport Scotland about providing a controlled crossing in that area, and we continue to push them on that.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We can confirm that a review of pedestrian crossing provision on the A96 at South College Street is under way at present.
“That is expected to be complete in November, following which we will discuss its findings and other pedestrian and cycle issues in the area with Moray Council.”
However, Elgin City North councillor Patsy Gowans warned that installing extra crossings along the route should not mean sacrificing crossing patrollers.
Mrs Gowans said: “I think if a crossing were installed outside East End there should still be a human presence there too, we would want both.
“I’d have grave concerns if this meant losing that human presence.”
