Child has 'near miss' with car outside Wallyford Primary School

Worried parent William Gordon is calling for a zebra crossing to be installed to allow children to cross the road safely and for vehicles to stop parking on or near a “dangerous corner”.

He raised his concerns with East Lothian Council back in 2020; since then, a set of traffic crossing lights have been erected near the new Wallyford Learning Campus.

But he claimed that “not much else has changed” since then, stressing that “proper infrastructure is needed to keep children safe”.

Mr Gordon said that he and several other parents and carers, along with their children, witnessed a “near miss” which he described as a “distressing scene” on Monday morning.

He said: “Walking to school, we stopped at the corner of Masons Way and Futures Way, waiting until it was safe to cross.

“This corner is always used for vehicles to park on/by.

The "dangerous corner" outside Wallyford Primary School. Image: Google Maps

“This morning, a transit van was parked at the corner on the double yellow lines.

“A group of children from P2 or P3 were standing waiting on their friend coming up behind us. Some boys ran over, while a smaller boy was hesitant to cross; about 30 seconds later, he ran out into the road.

“A car turning into the road had to stop suddenly – it was a very narrow escape.

“Now, had a car or vehicle been coming down from the other way, the car would not have seen the child due to the van and several other cars blocking the corner/road obstructing the view, resulting in every parent and carer’s worst nightmare. This is something totally avoidable.”

He added: “We would all love it if the police could spend all mornings policing this but they can’t. It’s been suggested that the corner does not meet the criteria for a zebra crossing.

“You have nursery children and families, primary schoolchildren and families and older children going to the high school using this corner.

“When we were kids after school, we would run out of school to get home to play with our friends.

“Put yourself into a primary schoolchild’s shoes. You have got top marks in a spelling test; you are so pleased you can’t wait to get home to show your mum or dad. You burst out of school with this in mind, come out of a school gate, run across a road… bang! Hit by a car.

“What chance does our youngster have when people park on double yellow lines on a corner obstructing views for pedestrians and other road users?”

'Incredibly disappointing'

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The photos and incident described show how important it is that all drivers observe restrictions around school to help keep all children safe.

“Double yellow lines are used near schools to improve sightlines, ensuring drivers and pedestrians have clear visibility of the road and surrounds.

“Parking on double yellow lines is unlawful and compromises safety. It’s incredibly disappointing that often the people parking in these areas are themselves dropping children off at school.

“We will be deploying our parking attendants and working with our police colleagues to attend Wallyford Primary School to observe and intervene in unlawful and inconsiderate parking, and would encourage all members of the school community to ensure that they are behaving in a way that maintains good visibility for safe crossing options.

“Wallyford Primary’s junior road safety officers are working with East Lothian Council and the Parent & Carer Council on providing a walking bus to school. They have issued a consultation to parents which is at early stages and the school encourages all of its families to engage in this consultation.”