Road must be made safer for children, insist families
Campaigners are calling for traffic calming measures on a road in Houston after raising concerns about the safety of school children.
Councillor Alison Dowling and worried parents have urged Renfrewshire Council to take action at the junction between Main and South Street in the village.
The former described the danger spot as “one of the worst bits of road” she has ever seen and warned local authority chiefs to act quickly.
A petition has been launched – gathering around 300 signatures – as residents look to make the junction safer for families.
Councillor Dowling, who represents Houston, said: “It’s one of the worst bits of road we have ever seen. It’s almost impossible to get across.
“You see the kids, they’re hesitating. The minute they think they’re safe a car comes down. Traffic is pretty busy the whole day. It’s really restricting people’s ability to travel safely.
“I think it’s quite an urgent issue. We need something quickly.”
She continued: “I am demanding action to be taken by the council before we see a tragedy.
“There’s a marked increase in traffic on Main Street due to around 58 new family houses in the area and traffic using it as a through road to Bishopton.
“It’s not the quiet, sleepy village street it used to be in terms of traffic.
“Watching children trying to work out when they can cross the street in the face of heavy, fast moving traffic is gut wrenching.
“An additional danger comes from the number of parked cars that line the street blocking lines of sight.
“I have seen for myself that cars fly up and down the road, the parked cars means you sometimes can’t see them until the last minute.”
Councillor Dowling has been backed by local residents, parents and the children.
Mum Emma Gilmour said: “Houston is a growing village with a lot more families.
“It’s not safe getting to school. Drivers are definitely not going at 30mph.
“Older children want independence, but still need adults to help them cross the road safely at Main Street. There’s no help at all here.”
There are three schools in the vicinity – Houston Primary School, St Fillan’s Primary School and Gryffe High School.
Helen Reid, 14, said: “Cars don’t give any consideration to kids of any age, and they don’t slow down even for younger ones.
“They’ve got places to go, but so do we.”
Renfrewshire Council said it has heard the community’s pleas and will take them into consideration.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “We are always happy to listen to our communities and have taken on board the request for a school crossing patroller in this area.
“We have commissioned a survey to be undertaken which will identify the volumes of pedestrians and vehicles using the area at school times and we will analyse the results before deciding on the appropriate next steps.”