PARENTS at two new schools have been told work will begin to address concerns over nearby dangerous roads after it was revealed a pupil has been hit by a car.

Councillors and members of the public at a Ruthin Town Council meeting on Monday night heard traffic arrangements around the schools need to change.

Rhos Street School and Ysgol Pen Barras opened at Easter on a new site for a total of 500 pupils aged five to 11 that used the school entrances on Denbigh Road and the town’s industrial estate Link Road.

Questions had been raised over the absence of safety measures on the busy roads prior to the opening of the schools for the pupils, which also make their way along the A525 from Rhewl that has a 60mph speed limit.

The council had carried out a trial period during the summer term to understand the travel patterns of families to and from the school, but parents had been unaware that the trial was taking place.

It was revealed at the public meeting that an accident had already occurred involving a pupil that was walking to the new school site.

Concerned mother Ffion White said: “I’m a parent that cycles with two of my children to school every day, aged six and four.

“Unfortunately we have had an incident on the Glasdir Link Road. My daughter did get hit on the way to school.

“The refuge in the middle of the road needs to be bigger, it’s so scary for the kids.”

Parents also raised concerns about safety after the crossing patrol on Denbigh Road was axed.

Meetings have now been held for parents at the schools and a public meeting at the town council to show those with worries what the council proposes to do about the problem.

Ben Wilcox Jones, of Denbighshire’s Highways Department, said: “We all know the pedestrian facilities were not addressed prior to the new schools opening.

“I think that is something that has become a concern to the public.”

He said the Welsh Government approached all county councils in Wales about potential funding for active travel-related improvements.

“What we’ve looked at doing is improving visibility on the route, bringing tactile paving forward at junctions because we felt that some junctions on the way were set back and there was a lack of visibility between pedestrians and motorists," he added.