Safety boost at site of boy's death

A ROAD outside a city high school where a teenager was killed after being hit by a truck is to get new safety measures.

David Bendo, 17, died two years ago after being hit by a lorry outside Tynecastle High.

The accident happened on McLeod Street during the school lunch break, with fellow pupils looking on in horror as the driver of the lorry continued for 50 yards before realising the teenager was trapped underneath.

Now the council is set to install traffic calming measures to narrow the road to make it safer for pupils to cross.

The school has also been working with police to educate pupils on road safety since the new school building – which is also on McLeod Street – opened at the start of this year.

David's family have welcomed the move to improve road safety at the school. His mother Christine, 44, said: "It's most important that no other families are put in the same position as us.

"I went to visit the new school building and I met my son's teacher and it was very hard.

"It was really hard for me to walk on the exact path where my son lost his life, but it was also really nice for me to be with my son's teacher because everyone knew my son and had lovely memories of him.

"They have a new bench in my son's name, which is an absolutely beautiful memory."

Last year, David's younger brother, John, a pupil at St Augustine's RC High School was elected into the youth parliament representing Edinburgh West.

One of his reasons for standing was to campaign for improved safety for young people outside schools and at construction sites, as his brother was killed while building work was under way to replace Tynecastle High.

The teenager feels so strongly about road safety that he also took part in a city-wide public speaking competition on the issue.

On the school's website, headteacher Tom Rae reminded pupils of the importance of road safety.

He said: "I have been informing students that they should walk along McLeod Street on the football ground side before crossing to enter the school rather than crossing at the junction with Gorgie Road.

"I am also actively pursuing with the council ways of making access even safer."

It is thought that the new measures will be in place later this year. A spokesman for the city council said: "Alongside offering advice to pupils about taking the safest routes we plan to install a traffic calming crossing point near the school entrance to make the area around the new Tynecastle High School as safe as possible."