Parents have hit out at the traffic plans put in place for the new £50 million Largs Campus.
Largs Community Council moved to Largs Academy to discuss the plans, with around 60 people turning up to hear a presentation from the council’s project team.
However, it appears that the traffic is the real concern among residents living adjacent to the site at Alexander Avenue and parents, with the benefits of a new school being broadly welcomed.
Project leader Yvonne Cooper was faced with several questions from members of the public and community councillors regarding the safety of children and the impact on parents and residents.
Although the council officers said that they had taken into account the number of pupils and staff, the parking requirements and road safety, the general mood was one of skepticism, with many parents refusing to accept the proposals.
One resident, Jim McMath, said he was concerned about the traffic at the beginning and end of the school day.
He asked the project team about the 2000 or so people travelling to the new campus each day, saying: “Are all of these cars going to converge at the one time?”
Mrs Cooper explained that the times would be staggered to spread the traffic across a wider timeframe.
Former Largs policeman David McDonald, who lives in Alexander Walk, has previously stated his concerns about road safety to the News questioned the figures provided by the council.
He said: “Our own survey of the plans shows that there will be around 54 spaces after staff and others have parked. At the same time you are looking at about 355 car journeys to the campus between 8am and 9am - all through one entrance.
“I am coming from a road safety point of view and you haven’t a hope. Where are all of these cars going to go?’.
Even the staggering of times to reduce congestion was questioned.
St Mary’s Primary parent council chair Kirsty Moore said that staggering times would mean that someone dropping off a primary school child and a secondary school pupil would probably have to make two journeys.
Another parent asked whether the council had taken into account the fact that teachers would only let younger pupils leave at the end of the day if they can see their mum or dad.
“Does the traffic plan take this into account?”
She added that most parents she knew waited to wave goodbye to the children to make sure they go in the door safely.
Community Councillor Ian Murdoch was also unconvinced by the traffic plans, stating that the traffic flow would grind to a halt when new traffic signals along Alexander Avenue were operated.
He added that he felt that people had been left in the dark about the process and that the traffic plan needed to be looked at again.
It was pointed out that the plans were promoted in the press, in local offices, and through letters to parents of affected pupils. However, there was anger that many residents had not been notified due to planning applications only required to notify those within 20m of the school boundary.
Jim McMath reiterated a suggestion which Mr McDonald had previously made to the News, that the vacated land at Brisbane Primary be used as a dedicated access area and add more car parking spaces to accommodate any school roll increases in the future.
“Don’t we have an opportunity here?”
The project officers stated that the land outwith the campus was not part of their remit, but did rule out double yellow lines being put in front of the houses along Alexander Avenue, while her fellow officer Laurence Cree stated that the council was looking to reduce the number of car journeys being made to schools.
She also told parents worried about their children being dropped off at a distance from the campus buildings would have dedicated safe walking routes to follow.
Community councillor Jim Perman had made it clear that the view the group would take on the planning application would have to relate to specific planning issues such as the impact on the visual environment and road safety.