A petition has been launched
A parent is calling for safety improvements to be made to a “horrible” Huntingdon school road. Local resident and parent Andrada Ioana Grab claims that she and other parents are becoming “increasingly concerned” about traffic, parking, and safety around the schools on Ambury Road.
Huntingdon Nursery School and Huntington Primary School are both located on Ambury Road. The 29-year-old said the area regularly experiences “heavy congestion” and “limited parking availability” during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.
As a result, the mother has claimed people have resorted to stopping or parking on double yellow lines as well as on the grass. On more than one occasion, Andrada’s child has reportedly been late to school due to her searching for a safe and suitable place to stop and park.
The 29-year-old, who works overnight shifts and arrives home shortly before leaving to take her child to school, said it is around 20-minutes away by walking. “I don’t have time”, she said.
She said that she has watched buses and other road users have difficulties passing through the area. She added: “Many parents and residents believe the current situation is creating unnecessary safety concerns for children travelling to and from school.”
Explaining what it is like for her to pick up and drop off her child along Ambury Road every day, Andrada said: “It is really hard because my son likes to have his bike with him and I really struggle to take the bike out and make him safe. I need to concentrate on him and then the cars passing by or the buses, it is stressful.”
A petition has recently been launched by Andrada which calls for Cambridgeshire County Council to review the area and consider practical measures, including changes to parking arrangements and traffic management measures that could improve safety and reduce congestion.
Andrada said that every time she drops off at the school, “the road is horrible” with “a lot of cars”. She said: “It’s not good safety for children as well because they might get out of the car straight in the road and that’s really not safe. A lot of kids and parents are walking as well but a lot of them are coming in the car because they don’t have another alternative.”
As of 2024, Huntingdon Primary School had more than 400 pupils on its roll meanwhile Huntingdon Nursery School had more than 80 children in 2023, according to Ofsted.
Some of the suggested improvements include provision for extra parking, a redesigned layout, angled bays where feasible, and other traffic management measures. Since the petition’s launch on September 16, more than 40 signatures have been formally submitted.
A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Petitions play a vital role in local democracy. Once it has been formally submitted to the council, this petition will be carefully considered, as appropriate, in line with our constitution.”
The petition will be open for signatures until November 16.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login