AN animal-loving seven-year-old has persuaded council chiefs to install a duck crossing at a busy road.
Primary pupil Jamie Allan was inspired to help the local bird population after coming across some dead ducks lying at the side of a road in Perthshire.
Stormont Road, Scone, is close to a scenic parkland and a duck pond.
Upset that the birds were regularly getting killed by cars, Jamie successfully campaigned to get a warning sign put up at the side of the road.
Backed by local councillor Lewis Simpson, Jamie designed his own sign and was delighted to see it installed on Tuesday.
Robbie’s mum Linda said her son started his campaign after reading a local council leaflet asking residents to raise any concerns they had.
She said: “I found him painstakingly filling out his questionnaire.
“In his best handwriting, he had suggested some ‘ducks crossing signs’ for Sandy Road and Stormont Road, and even drew a wee picture to illustrate the type of sign he meant.
“He knew we were off to vote that evening and pressed it into my hand. I dutifully handed it to Councillor Simpson at the polling station and thought no more about it.
“As an adult you tend to be cynical about local politicians, and I wasn’t sure if anything would happen.
“But Jamie always kept faith and it’s been a wonderful lesson for him, that if you do care about something then you can make it happen.”
Linda said she was really proud of her son.
She said: “I am proud of Jamie, and I am also proud of the local council for listening.
“We live near the park and Jamie loves the ducks and had felt heartbroken to see they had been run over.
“It really meant a lot to him and we are really hoping the new sign makes a difference, especially during nesting season.”
Jamie, a pupil at Robert Douglas Memorial Primary, is not the first – but probably the youngest – to campaign for improved road safety for animals.
Underground crossroads for otters were installed on the A9 between Inverness and Thurso in a bid to cut down on fatalities.
Warning signs were also put up for drivers, along with reflectors to discourage the animals from crossing the road.
In Perthshire, wildlife kerbs have been put in place to prevent amphibians falling into and becoming stuck in drains.
