BANKHEAD Primary School is one of six across Glasgow to be trialled as a car free zone.

In February, Glasgow City Council announced the trial in a bid to improve road safety for children.

Starting on Wednesday, the scheme will run at the Knightswood school for 18 months and will follow extensive consultation with the school, local communities and stakeholders.

The trial will see temporary pedestrian areas created at Caldwell Avenue and Broadlie Drive for limited periods in the morning and afternoon – to help ensure pupils can arrive and leave school safely.

The push for the pilot programme follows a series of concerns such as poor and risky driving outside schools, obstructive parking that forces pupils on to the road as well as the issues created by congestion and harmful emissions.

The schools chosen for the pilot have a history of complaints and concerns from parent councils, community council and elected members about pupil safety on the school run.

Read more: Parent fears in Knightswood over pupil road crossing without any guards

Councillor Cunningham, city convenor for education, skills and early years, said: “There is a public demand from parents and residents to make sure children are as safe as possible when heading to and from school. A number of initiatives have already tried to clamp down on poor driver behaviour, but problems that put children at risk still persist.

“In the circumstances we have to go one step further to protect our children. Car free zones outside schools can create safe spaces for young people at key points of the school day. The zones are being introduced on a trial basis and we will be looking very carefully at the evidence to see how effective they prove to be.”

The other five schools earmarked for the involvement are Broomhill, Hillhead, Lourdes, Our Lady of the Rosary and St Blane’s.

There is also evidence that the six schools experience high levels of car use for the school journey and also have to deal with congestion at the school gates.

The eligibility for involvement in the scheme also considered the school’s location on the road network – the school entrance shouldn’t open on to a bus route for instance. But also, that there should be reasonable scope for the surrounding area to cope with displaced traffic.

In March this year, the Post reported that parents at Bankhead warned pupils were at risk thanks to a lack of a crossing guard at a busy junction.

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Youngsters heading to and from the school were left without assistance for weeks after the guard who stood at Polnoon Avenue went off ill.

There wasn't a crossing patroller across Alderman Road at Polnoon Avenue, which parents said also needed support for the pupils.

One parent said most parents made other arrangements, such as driving their children to school, for their own safety.