Published: Wednesday, 24th June, 2009 9:43am

Safety experts will probe 'danger walk'

by Julie Gilbert

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But partents angry at bus ‘promise’ break

THE walking routes for children who will attend the new super school St Peter the Apostle next term will be looked into by independent safety experts.

But some parents are furious that their children are being denied free travel to school and that a 'promise' to consider an interim change to school transport policy was rejected.

Many pupils living in Whitecrook who attend nearby St Andrew"s High will not be getting bus passes to take them to their new school, St Peter the Apostle, which although is further away, is less than two miles from their homes.

In a motion put forward at West Dunbartonshire Council"s Education Committee, Independent councillor Marie McNair said there was a 'commitment' given that 'interim changes to the school transport policy could be considered by elected members' regarding travel to the new school and it should be honoured.

But SNP Councillor Ronnie McColl moved that the council took 'no action in relation to parents" requests for travel passes for children who live within the current two mile limit'.

The motion also included a commitment to have the safety of proposed walking routes looked at by an independent road safety consultant.

The vote was split, with seven committee members backing Councillor McNair and seven backing Councillor McColl.

Councillor McColl"s motion was passed with the casting vote from chair, SNP councillor May Smilie.

Furious parent Carol Madden, 45, has a 13-year-old child at St Andrew"s.

She said: 'My child walks to school but there isn"t a safe route to the new school.

'They"ll have to go over the Drumry Bridge and cross the Boulevard.

'I"m not happy with her walking but I won"t have time to drive her there, so she"ll have to get the bus and that"s a lot of money.'

Claire Orr, 31, has a daughter in first year and thinks that many kids at secondary school are still too young to walk all the way from Whitecrook to Drumry every morning.

She said: 'They"re still very young at 12. I don"t even like my daughter going shopping on her own.

'And there are a lot of very small kids in her class.'

Frances Magee, 42, has a 14-year-old and thinks even the older children should not be expected to walk up to the new school.

She said: 'They will all be carrying on and they won"t bother crossing at the lights.

'They should be putting on a bus for the kids or giving them passes.

'One of the councillors said it was better for them to walk to school for exercise.

'But they"ll be getting more exercise walking to and from the bus stop that they get now walking to St Andrew"s.'

The SNP"s proposal at the Education Committee was based on concerns about costs and 'potential inequalities' that could arise from St Andrew"s pupils being treated differently from other children in West Dunbartonshire.