A PARENT school governor is calling for a new pedestrian crossing near two busy Almondbury schools.

Concerns were raised for the safety of Greenside Infant and Junior School and Almondbury High School pupils crossing Fernside Avenue back in November.

Now Almondbury High School parent governor Phil Scott has collected a 250 signature petition to Kirklees Council calling for action.

Mr Scott, whose 15-year-old daughter is a pupil at the high school, told the Examiner: “It is a busy road used by two schools. We need a zebra crossing to protect the children.

“There has been a number of near misses. Cars have to brake suddenly. Does it take a child to be hit before anything is done?

“We know from speaking to local residents and parents this is a real issue and the petition shows the strength of our concerns.”

Almondbury ward councillor Ann Denham said: “The issues children and parents are having crossing the road safely is because of the volume of traffic in the area at peaks times. While the traffic calming slows vehicles as it should, the number of cars moving up and down the road limits opportunities to move across safely. This is clearly a cause for concern for both parents and schools staff.”

She added: “Hopefully the 250 signatures gathered will convince cabinet that action needs to be taken to improve the situation.”

The move is the latest in a string of concerns regarding crossings in Huddersfield.

Earlier this week The Examiner reported the call from concerned residents for a pelican crossing in Bradley Road near to the scene of a serious crash.

And at the start of the month parents and staff at Shepley First School claimed road safety measures were “almost nonexistent” near the Firth Street school.

A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “The feasibility of a pedestrian crossing will depend on vehicle speeds, road width and the number of pedestrians plus the physical constraints of the site and the impact on safety that the crossing will have.

“If there is demand at peak times for school travel only, then we would also look to carry out a school crossing patrol assessment to see if this is an option. We have not yet received the petition.”

What do you think? Are there enough pedestrian crossings near schools in Huddersfield? Email the newsroom on:editorial@examiner.co.uk