PARENTS of Southside pupils are claiming victory after their campaign saw a new crossing installed outside a school.

The Mount Florida Parent Partnership feared for pupils’ safety after it was claimed cars and buses were running red lights on Cathcart Road.

In December last year, calls for action to be taken led to the council, First Bus and Police Scotland agreeing to look in to the matter where road safety analysis was carried out.

Now, parents and pupils are able to cross at what is deemed a safer place after a new pedestrian crossing was installed on the road over the Easter break outside Mount Florida Primary School.

Christina Grant, the chairwoman of the school’s parent partnership, said: “We’re very pleased about the outcome.

“It’s reassuring to see that the concerns from the parent partnership have been listened to and the work we have carried out has made a positive difference.

“The new crossing has been installed in time for the school coming back after the Easter holidays, so we will find out soon enough if it has made a difference. I hope it does.

“It’s a much more obvious area for a crossing and hopefully the crossing will be more visible to drivers.”

The new crossing is located at the junction of Cathcart Road and Letherby Drive after a consultation found this was the part of road most pupils and parents used to cross the road.

The instalment sees two sets of traffic lights on top of each other so taller vehicles can see lights are up ahead.

Anti-skid surfacing has also been laid on the approach to the crossing.

As well as this the crossing patroller, who was stationed further down the road, has also been moved to the crossing.

The road-crossing analysis and feedback from the parent partnership found the original crossing at the junction of Cathcart Road and Battlefield Road wasn’t being used.

The parent group said the reason behind this was because there was not enough signage to notify drivers about the crossing or that indeed a school was nearby.

This led to parents claiming cars, and even buses, were running red lights.

As a result of this, the crossing was put in an area where the majority of parents and pupils crossed the road.

Anna Richardson, a councillor for the area, said: I’m very pleased to see these improvements made to the crossing.

“Parents worked hard alongside council officers to reach a solution, and should be commended for their efforts. It should make the walk to school safer for many local families.”

A council spokeswoman said: “We have worked with all parties involved in this issue and listened in particular to the concerns of the parents.

“We have come up with what is a viable solution to the issue which is good news to all concerned.”