Parents fight for action on 'danger' road

A MOTHER whose daughter was knocked down outside her school is leading a campaign for better road safety on the "dangerous" stretch of road.

More than 100 parents have signed a petition to install traffic lights at the Y junction on Portobello Road, which crosses with Craigentinny Avenue and Restalrig Avenue, following a spate of collisions in the area.

Earlier this year, 13-year-old Jessica Ramsay, who attends Portobello High, was taken to the ERI after being thrown in the air when she was struck by a van.

Now Suzanne Ramsay, along with another mother Alison Anderson, are appealing for the city council to take action, such as installing traffic lights or a zebra crossing, or employing a lollipop person. They also feel that the pavement is too narrow.

Mrs Ramsay, who lives off Portobello Road, said: "The road has been causing a lot of issues for a while.

"In May my daughter Jessica was crossing the road when she was a struck by a van that had turned off the Craigentinny Avenue. He saw her so he slammed on his brakes and only hit her at around 25mph. But if a bus or a high vehicle had been restricting his vision, he may well have not slowed down in time.

"She was thrown in the air and landed on her side, knocking her head.

"Luckily she was OK apart from cuts and bruises but doctors said if the van had been travelling 10mph faster there would have been a fatality.

"I strongly believe we need lights at the top of Craigentinny Avenue and Restalrig Avenue. It's a very awkward junction and the path next to it is very narrow, so you see people walking along it sometimes. There need to be some changes to prevent something even more serious happening."

Mrs Anderson, whose two children attend Royal High Primary and Portobello High, said: "Accidents are happening on a regular basis. I can name four or five over the past couple of months. On November 1 there was a nasty collision between a car and a motorbike, and at the end of October two cars collided after one pulled out of Craigentinny Avenue and the other was coming along Portobello Road.

"Frustratingly the council don't tend to record accidents, unless there's an injury. So when they're looking at roads that need additional safety measures a lot of incidents are overlooked.

"There's cars coming from all angles in this area, and two schools very nearby, so there's potential for accidents. So far there are over 100 signatures on paper and online. We'll be presenting our petition in January at the neighbourhood partnership meeting."

Ewan Aitken, councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston, supports the campaign. He said: "This junction is dangerous, this isn't news to local people. But it seems to be news to the transport department.

"We need to act before more people get hurt. I applaud the parents for running with this battle."

A council spokesman said: "Senior council officials will meet local councillors on site to discuss the concerns that have been raised."