Gritting lorry and road safety talks at Saltford School

(Press release from B&NES Council & comment from SPC below)

Pupils at Saltford C of E School were given a close up look at one of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s road gritting lorries as part of a road safety day.

B&NES Council teamed up with its contractor VolkerHighways to give each class an opportunity to see the gritter and were given road safety information and tips.

B&NES Council also provided the school with educational resources to help with its road safety week, which will include a design competition where the winner’s road safety sign will be displayed in front of the school.

Councillor Manda Rigby, Cabinet Member for Highways said: “It’s really important to get children thinking about how they can always stay safe on our roads, not just when travelling to and from school. This was a great way to support the school ahead of its own road safety week, giving pupils the chance to see one of our gritters, ask questions and find out how it works.”

A spokesperson from the school said: “It was a lovely chance for all the children to get up close to see how it works and the scale of the machine. We were also entertained by Kerby the Cone who reminded the children about safety when they are near a road.”

B&NES Council operates nine gritting lorries from its Clutton depot and Keynsham Recycling Centre. Pupils were shown how the gritter works, taught how spreading road salt makes roads safer for road users and were given safety information and tips, like which vehicle lights to look out for and how to avoid vehicle blind spots.

Additional Information from Saltford Parish Council

Saltford Parish Council welcomes engagement from B&NES Council, the Highways Authority, with Saltford Primary School about road safety.

SPC has previously raised concerns to the attention of the police and B&NES Council matters related to road safety. This includes dangerous parking close to the school’s Claverton Road site, which at times has raised specific concerns about the visibility of children when crossing the road (and their own ability to see oncoming traffic). SPC reminds those driving to the school to park safely for the benefit of all children at the school, and with consideration to nearby residents. SPC is grateful to the Keynsham Beat Team and members of B&NES Council’s Parking Enforcement team for visiting the area during busy periods. Should residents view dangerous or unauthorised parking near Saltford Primary School, they can report to the police or B&NES Council respectively. More information can be found on SPC’s ‘Report It‘ page.

SPC has thanked B&NES Council for responding to the Parish Council’s requests to repaint the yellow ‘zig zags’ on Claverton Road, and for extending the length and introducing new yellow ‘zig zags’ at Manor Road (to the rear of Saltford Primary School) to ensure good access and safe conditions at both these locations. Please find more information in SPC’s article about its Manor Road yellow ‘zig zags’ request and B&NES Council consultation. SPC has also reminded B&NES Council to ‘sweep’ these areas so that the lines are visible particularly during the autumn months via the B&NES Council FixMyStreet website.

In recent years, SPC has also succeeded in asking B&NES Council for updated road signs near the school. Further to this, SPC has either requested or supported the introduction of ‘no parking’ double yellow lines at road junctions near the school to prevent dangerous parking at areas where parking is prohibited by the Highway Code. Last year SPC supported the request for a dropped curb at Trenchard Road (near its junction with Claverton Rd West) to enable safer ‘active travel’ to and from the school site. More recently, at its September 2024 meeting SPC requested that B&NES Council improve the condition of the pavements around the school site, to encourage ‘active travel’ by pupils and their families, and for safety reasons.

Residents can also raised concerns or suggestions for action to the attention of B&NES Council, either via its FixMyStreet website or else via ‘Council Connect’ at https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/contact-us

SPC hopes that through raising awareness to B&NES Council about ways that the area around Saltford Primary School can be enhanced, that overall road safety improves, particularly for the benefit Saltford’s younger residents.