Residents fear road safety problems outside Sheffield school will result in death

Grange Road, outside Reignhead Primary School in Beighton, has become unsafe to cross or walk along at school drop-off and pick-up times because of speeding and parking violations, claim residents.

An ambulance was recently called for an elderly man on Grange Road around 7.30am, when parents arrived to drop off their children at school.

A father demanded the ambulance should move so he could get past, which a local pensioner claimed she witnessed.

The woman, who lives close to the school, said: “I just found the father’s behaviour out of order.

“Sadly, the man had passed away when the ambulance arrived, but what would have happened if they were giving him CPR in the ambulance?”

This is not the first time parking issues have nearly caused serious injury or loss of life, it is claimed.

Another resident said a few years ago, on the school run, her and her daughter were nearly crushed when a car reversed too fast.

Such near-misses are occurring more frequently, the residents claim.

One woman said: “Last week there were two more instances with children almost knocked down.

“A little boy was walking on the pavement when a van mounted the grass verge so quickly, the poor lad had to dive out of the way to not get run over.”

Residents successfully campaigned for bollards outside the school gates, but it is claimed it has resulted in more cars parking on grass verges or pavements.

A resident said: “I do believe somebody is going to get killed before something is done. It’s that bad now. So where do we go from here?”

Beighton Councillor Ann Woolhouse recently visited Grange Road after being contacted by a constituent whose child attends the primary school.

She said: “In the new year I am meeting with the community police, to see if and what could be done.”

Sheffield Councillor Jack Scott added: “Sheffield deserves better than this. We need a Government that prioritises investment in public services so we can properly fund vital infrastructure like road safety.”