Councillors call for less cars during Sheffield school run after child's near miss

Councillor Alision Teal, representative for Sharrow, and Peter Garbutt, Rob Unwin, Jon Ashe and Fran Kime from the Green Party, spoke to residents across the area about road safety over a week.

It came after residents raised concerns about the high volume of traffic in the area.

Mr Garbutt said following visits some parents were considering changing their habits and trying to walk to school more often.

He said: "Parents were very pleased to see us. Some questioned how they could do otherwise than drop their children off by car, and their frustration is plain to see. But the safety of the children must come first.

“Getting children to school in the morning can be an event fraught with difficulties, matched only by picking them up again in the afternoon.

“Many parents take their children to school in the car because of fears of other dangers on the streets. Unfortunately, this leads to huge congestion outside schools before lessons start and after they've finished. The risk of a young child being hit by a car is very great at this time.”

During the week, their fears were realised when a young girl was nearly hit by a car near Sharrow Junior School.

Coun Teal said: "We were shocked to hear a young girl had had a near miss in the morning. It really brings it home to you just how dangerous the situation is. We're so thankful the girl is unharmed.”

They are now planning to extend their campaign to encourage drivers across the city to think about ways they can make their journey to school or work safer.