Charity in street audit to assess walking routes used by pupils

Work by Living Streets around three schools an attempt to address road safety concerns

A street audit will be taken of routes preferred by Crieff pupils in a bid to address road safety issues.

Members of charity Living Streets will examine various roads that lead to Crieff Primary School, Crieff High School and St Dominic’s Roman Catholic Primary School as part of an overall strategy to look into improvements for school routes taken by children in the area.

The streets will include Broich Road, Pittencrieff Road and Duchlage Road, with the study being supported by Crieff Community Council.

Living Streets is a UK-wide charity that encourages people of all ages and abilities to make walking their first choice for everyday journeys to schools, shops and amenities, and for leisure.

The group, which is funded by the Scottish Government and Paths for All, aims to deliver a programme that supports local communities and their stakeholders to take necessary action to improve local streets and spaces for walking.

A spokesperson for Living Streets said: “We’re looking at walking routes in Crieff to better understand what works and what doesn’t, and to make recommendations for improvements and to help with forward planning for the town.”

Craig Finlay, chairman of Crieff Community Council, confirmed he asked Living Streets to come back this year to put the roads that have been highlighted under the microscope.

“Last year Living Streets came to Crieff to carry out a safety awareness day for children using Broich Road to get to school,” he said.

“My feeling at the time was that children should be instructed not to actually use the road at all, as it’s dangerous. I asked Living Streets to come back and do a street audit of all roads leading to the three schools and, thereafter, a professional report will be drawn up highlighting the specific danger spots.”

Anyone wishing to comment on the street audit or join the event on the day can contact Crieff Community Council on its Facebook page or email crieffcommunitycouncil@pkc.gov.uk.

My feeling at the time was that children should be instructed not to actually use the road at all, as it’s dangerous. CRAIG FINLAY, CRIEFF COMMUNITY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN

Picture: Kim Cessford. Broich Road in Crieff is one of the routes to be surveyed.