‘‘I can’t believe we haven’t had a fatality,’’ Silverstream School principal Greg Hurley said.
The school had road patrols in Green and High streets but he said pupils had to ‘‘run the gauntlet’’ to cross Factory Rd.
Welcoming the project, he said many parents drove their children to school because they did not want them to cross Factory Rd.
If a safety measure was installed to get children safely across Factory Rd, it would result in about 20 fewer children needing to be dropped off to school by car, he said.
The Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board has asked the Dunedin City Council transport team to lead its Mosgiel Safe Accessways project.
Board chairwoman Sarah Davie-Nitis said the project would focus on making it safer for more children to walk, cycle or scoot to schools in Mosgiel and Outram.
A project to encourage active transport ‘‘made sense’’ on the Taieri, she said.
‘‘It’s flat.’’
Council transport group manager Richard Saunders said the project would identify safe routes and good connections to get children to schools.
A road safety survey had been given to principals for inclusion in school newsletters.
Survey data would be used at a council-led workshop in February at which council staff, board members, principals and selected stakeholders would start developing a plan.