A CAMPAIGNING dad has accused Essex County Council of “fobbing off” parents who want more space outside their children’s primary school in the interest of road and Covid-19 safety.

Dom Graham, who has three children at Myland Primary School in Colchester, claims it is almost impossible to remain socially distanced from other families without walking into Mill Road at drop-off and pick-up times.

Mr Graham says the inability to social distance is putting parents and children at risk amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis  as well as the risk of a collision with a car.

A petition signed by 100 parents calls for one lane to be closed on Mill Road between Nayland Road and Defoe Crescent in order to allow families to keep a safe distance and to avoid the traffic during specific times of the day.

In a meeting last year, Essex County Council’s deputy leader  Kevin Bentley proposed an extra gate could be created to the side of the school’s exit in Raven Way.

But Mr Graham says this would not solve the issue.

Halstead Gazette:

In an email to the council, Mr Graham wrote: “My overall impression is you have decided to prioritise bus users over child pedestrians.

“I am under no illusion my proposals may be difficult but they are not impossible, far from it. In fact, as you have pointed out, it would take minimal disruption to bus stops and bus routes.

“To remind you, I am only proposing a closure of one lane of a small proportion of Mill Road – not the whole road.

“The disruption to bus routes is minimal, in my humble opinion”

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Head of head of design service at Essex County Council  Vicky Presland said: “I have suggested we need to take the needs of all road users into consideration and I am sympathetic to the problems you have accessing and egressing the school with social distancing restrictions in place.

“A lane closure either leads to a one way system or a traffic signal control layout which is not easy to implement so creates similar problems.”

However, further meetings are said to have been ruled out.

Mr Graham continued: “Basically they have said they are not doing anything.”