Parents' campaigning pays off with pilot project to create exclusion zones at school gates in Fife

The 18-month road safety scheme is being trialled at Denend Primary, Cardenden.

Other schemes being developed at Pitcoudie Primary School in Glenrothes and St Marie’s Primary School in Kirkcaldy.

Substantial progress has already been made, and a consultation period has been launched.

Work has also begun at Denend to create the exclusion zone during the summer holidays, but efforts to make a reality began years ago.

Parents clogging up the dead-end road had bene an issue for some time, resulting in a zebra crossing being installed to help pupils cross safely, followed by a barrier to keep cars out of a residents’ car park.

Now, drop barriers are to be installed which will be in place fore the start and end of the school day.

Councillor Rosemary Liewald, SNP councillor for the ward, who also worked at Denend Primary, said: “The reason Denend is leading the trial is down to the tenacious efforts of the Parents who more than convinced officers to take it on board.”

"They have seen three accidents during those years – they have done a lot of work to get this trial started.

"Previous measures helped, but didn’t stop the traffic jams and people clogging up the road.

"We looked at other proposals across Scotland and found the proposal for exclusion zones at the start and end pf the school day.”

The “School Exclusion Zone” (SEZ) trial will last 18 months.

It will prevent non-residential traffic using the road network outside the school entrance gate, and / or in surrounding streets, at set periods of the school day - typically during start and finish times.

Councillor Aude Boubaker-Calder, Lib Dems education spokesperson welcomed the progress, adding: “Fife is not alone in trying new ways of creating safer streets around our Schools by the use of vehicle exclusion zones.

“The hope is that the use of exclusion zones will help keep children safe near their schools and will help improve health and wellbeing by encouraging walking and cycling.”

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