A councillor has demanded immediate action amid fears children’s lives are being put at risk by roadworks.
A diversion around the works is forcing hundreds of vehicles past a primary school.
A planning blunder means that “horrendous” numbers of vehicles can use the residential Hebrides Drive to dodge traffic lights at Dundee’s busy Forfar Road.
The shortcut runs across a major crossing for scores of school children, who have to run a daily gauntlet to get to Mill o’ Mains Primary.
And the danger has been compounded after officials decided last year not to replace a school crossing patroller at the busy intersection.
Local councillor Brian Gordon is demanding immediate action to end the “dangerous” situation before a child is hurt.
He said: “It is horrendous. The traffic coming along Hebrides Drive is intolerable and dangerous.
“The situation is endangering the safety of children crossing the road to access Mill o’ Mains school.
“This crossing is now at crisis point.
“Planners should have put a lot more thought into this. We have to look at introducing traffic calming measures at the very least.
“But I think residents might prefer if one of the exits was closed off to stop Hebrides Drive being used as a rat-run entirely.
“I feel that urgent action is needed today to alleviate this situation.”
Mr Gordon added that the traffic has been particularly bad around the school crossing due to roadworks taking place on Hebrides Drive East, which cuts off the normal route for commuters trying to reach Forfar Road.
Traffic is particularly bad in the early morning and evening, Mr Gordon said, when many drivers try to avoid long queues at the small slip lane on to Forfar Road.
The ‘twenty is plenty’ zone around Hebrides Drive is also regularly flouted, according to residents, while building projects around the area have also led to an increase in industrial traffic.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “Our network management team will be looking into Councillor Gordon’s concerns and we will continue to monitor the area.
“We will also ask Police Scotland to assist in assessing and targeting any enforcement as an initial measure.”