Parents and kids are pleading for something to be done to make a dangerous junction outside their Balham school safer.

The group of about 20 people from Chestnut Grove Academy gathered at the roundabout turning into Boundaries Road on Monday.

There, they held up 20mph signs, reminding those drivers speeding past to slow down.

Among them was Maud Gambier-Ellis, who said she fears for her daughters safety as a result of those drivers.

"I’ve got a child who comes from the other side of Chestnut Grove, she’s a cyclist and for a long time she used to cycle on the pavement and I would say to her ‘just be careful of pedestrians'," she told the Wandsworth Times.

"But now she is cycling on the road.

"It’s not a safe thing to do, people open their doors a bit too hastily and if there is a car passing then that’s it. It’s not reassuring at all."

Wandsworth Times:

Currently there is no signage to indicate a school is nearby and there is just one 20mph sign which is situated just past the roundabout.

When kids wish to cross Roundabouts Road, they must either wait for a break in traffic or for a car to stop and let them pass, many of which do not.

Mother and Earlsfield councillor Jo Rigby helped organise the demonstration, which saw an inflatable zebra crossing placed in the road to allow students to cross.

She highlighted the fact that four kids had been struck near the school (three in Chestnut Grove and one near Balham station) as a reason for immediate change.

"You can’t rely on an 11-year-old making a choice," she said.

"What I want Wandsworth Council to do is a proper open consultation.

"They should be asking the kids what they want and I’m not going to say today what the exact layout should be, but something needs to be done."

It wasn't just parents down barracking for a change either.

Students from Chestnut Grove were in attendance to share their concerns.

Wandsworth Times:

"This part especially is dangerous because the cars drive really fast around the corner," 12-year-old Siofra Mawdsley said of the roundabout.

"There’s been a few accidents here so if a zebra crossing was there it would help a lot," 13-year-old Rowan Muir added.

Even Chestnut principal Christian Kingsley came down to show his support.

Be it a zebra crossing or a lollipop lady, he said the "busy, busy" junction needs fixing.

"The safety of the children is our absolute priority and this is a really dangerous junction," he said.

"Whilst a lot of the drivers are considerate, who stop here and let the kids go past, some of them don’t.

"What will often happen is the traffic will be stacked up and pull out to the other side of the road and speed past."

For now though, the students will have to rely on those driving through the street to look both ways before turning a corner, for fear another student may be hit.