PARENTS have been carrying out a survey on a busy road outside Johnston school to demonstrate the need for new safety measures.

The Friends of Johnston CP School want a zebra crossing or preferably a school crossing patrol officer (lollipop person) put in place as the raised area outside the school gates where children cross is also a traffic hotspot.

The group have been voluntarily conducting a survey of Langford Road outside the school each morning between 8am and 9.15am, and every afternoon between 2.45pm and 3.45pm, logging the numbers of cars, cyclists, children walking to school alone, children walking with their parents, and adults walking along the road.

Mandy Singh, chairperson of Friends of Johnston CP School said: “We have taken quite a bit of data and started a petition because we feel that the area that has been allocated for children to cross outside the school is very deceptive.”

Gareth Thomas, head teacher at the school said the parents were collecting the data as part of the procedure necessary to apply to Pembrokeshire County Council for a lollipop person.

“The children are also being proactive in doing traffic surveys and we have put banners up with support of the county council to slow the traffic down,” he added.

“From the school’s point of view we would love to have a crossing. We have been working with the authority in regard to how many children walk to school.”

Johnston Community Council discussed the traffic issues outside the school at their most recent meeting (October 11), and decided to write to Pembrokeshire County Council Highways’ Department to ask if anything could be done to improve the road layout and reduce traffic speeds.

They suggested that double yellow lines could be painted along the road, or new parking spaces could be provided to stop parents parking on Langford road and adding to traffic issues.