Children put in danger by fast drivers
Horns beeping, passing drivers hurling expletives, wing mirrors getting clipped.
This has been the scene at one of South Ayrshire’s most dangerous school gates, which residents say has missed out on proper safety measures for years.
To compound issues, traffic warning signs have been broken at Coylton Primary for a number of months now.
The flashing 20mph signals, designed to warn motorists to slow down as children make their way to and from school, have just stopped working.
Road bosses have promised to replace the signs after we alerted them.
The primary sits on the A70 - a jammed major route between Ayr and Edinburgh - with high levels of HGVs thundering past. There can be more than 7000 vehicles during the typical 12 hours of a week day.
Last Tuesday morning between 8.45am to 9am, 153 vehicles including 10 HGVs went through the village passing the school gate. The school run has featured a number of accidents in recent years, including a tractor hitting a mum’s car and a lorry jack knifing at the gates.
Mum-of-one Lorraine Mcfarlane, from the village, said: “The road is very busy and dangerous. It is used by many for going to school, walking, jogging and dog walking.”
The 49-year-old added: “The signs are a reminder to slow down the traffic. It is important to get them fixed as soon as possible. It would be nice to keep
everybody safe.”
A proposal has been lodged to ban vehicles at school times at Heathfield, Forehill, Alloway, Doonfoot, Kingcase and Monkton Primary. Many other villages are zoned for 20mph restrictions including Crosshill, Dundonald, Kirkmichael, Straiton, Minishant, Barrhill, Maidens, Dailly, Colmonell and Pinwherry. Coylton has not been included.
The Ayrshire Roads Alliance said its powers are limited to handle the problems of the A70 due to its “arterial” status. It has vowed to fix the flashing 20 signs however.
A spokeswoman said: “The Ayrshire Roads Alliance can confirm that there is no record of anyone reporting that the flashing 20s at Coylton Primary had stopped working.
“The manufacturer of these particular
signs no longer operates in the UK, which means that the signs will need to be replaced rather than repaired. The Alliance, with funding from South Ayrshire Council, will arrange for replacement signs to be in place as quickly as their manufacture and installation allows, which is typically six to eight weeks.
“If there are ongoing concerns over dangerous driving and vehicle speeding in the vicinity of Coylton Primary then Police Scotland have powers to enforce moving traffic violations.
“The Alliance will arrange for a speed survey to be undertaken in the vicinity of the school, and if the survey results suggest a speeding issue, officers will liaise with colleagues from Police Scotland in order to investigate further traffic calming features as considered appropriate.”