Dundee City Council has advised me that it hopes to provide a new school crossing patrol on Blackness Road, following my raising residents’ requests for this safety measure. I am pleased about this, coming soon after resolution of the school crossing patroller problem at Hawkhill.Blackness Road at the Kelso Street steps is a greatly used crossing point by both Blackness Primary and Harris Academy pupils on their way to school and up till now has had no ‘lollipop’ patroller. Some time ago, the road was slightly narrowed with ‘build outs’ to aid people crossing but parents rightly felt that a crossing patroller was necessary, particularly given the very busy nature of Blackness Road, a bus route and a road that sees many other vehicle movements along it, including HGVs.
I contacted the Education Department about the matter and was advised that a traffic survey would be carried out to see if a crossing patroller was possible in terms of the criteria used – which depends on there being sufficient pupils crossing to justify a patroller. I have now been advised that “the crossing point did reach the criteria to support a SCP” and it is hoped to provide a crossing patroller once a recruitment process has taken place.
I am very pleased that the Education Department recognises the need for a patroller at this busy crossing, particularly given the large number of pupils who cross here to get too and from both Harris Academy and Blackness Primary School. The department tells me that it has been experiencing a short-term recruitment problem but it has advertised for new postholders and therefore hopes to have available staff once recruitment is complete and necessary disclosures are undertaken.