As part of our ongoing programme of school visits, we were there to observe a number of issues including the 'surge' of Grove pupils as they nip down to the centre of Broughty Ferry to purchase their carry out lunches.
Most pupils leaving the school at lunchtime were seen to proceed in an orderly manner down Church Street and cross Queen Street with the help of the skilled Crossing Patroller.
As a result of our observations and discussion on the hoof, a number of road safety measures were explored including:
- making the Queen Street/Church Street intersection into a box junction;
- moving the bus stop currently adjacent to the main vehicular entrance to the school on Claypotts Road to a site closer to the segregated pedestrian entrance to the school;
- moving the flashing school warning lights further up Claypotts Road to provide more advance warning to drivers and
- inserting 20 mph flashing school warning lights on Queen Street.
If I had to prioritise these, I think the 'box junction' at the Queen Street/Church Street junction is the most urgent. This would I am advised provide a better separation of the road traffic from our pupils and our Crossing Patroller at the Church Street/Queen Street Crossing point. In the mornings, when traffic flows are heavy, cars driving west towards Dundee on Queen Street form a continuous queue sometimes leaving the children and the Patroller at the Honda Garage (see picture) without a clear passage across the Queen Street.
This was a most constructive and worthwhile 'meeting'. At the next 'formal' meeting of the Working Group, I shall be pressing for these measures to be implemented to enhance pupil and public safety in and around Grove Academy.
