Call for pedestrian crossing on school route

West Lothian resident, Paul Mallon, asked the MSP, Foysol Choudhury, to visit Polkemmet Road in Whitburn.

Both Mr Mallon and other local parents have expressed concerns about the route to St Joseph Primary School for their children, saying it is unsafe, and he wanted Mr Choudhury to see it for himself.

More than 700 houses have been built with a promise that a safe pedestrian crossing would be installed in 2018.

However, this has not yet happened, and there is no definite date for a crossing to be created.

Mr Choudhury said: “I was shocked at the speed of the cars and lorries on a 20 mile per hour road. I worry for Mr Mallon who has to cross this road at least twice a day with his small children.

“I am extremely concerned that pedestrians using this route, including children walking to and from school, risk being severely injured, due to a lack of a pedestrian crossing where they can cross this busy road safely.  I urge Greentown (Heartlands) Limited to take urgent action to install a pedestrian crossing as quickly as possible.

“I have also contacted the police and West Lothian Council to ask whether they can put in short term speeding mitigations until the pedestrian crossing is finally installed.”

On its website Heartlands Scotland advertised the housing there like this: “Where the school run is a walk in the park”.

The £650 million development was a regeneration of the former coal mine with 2,000 new homes as well as commercial space and retail and leisure facilities all “set in a lush green environment”.