Staffordshire safety fears spark plea for free travel to school
Parents are appealing for their children to receive free school transport, claiming a designated walking route is unsafe.
They want to be made exempt from rules meaning parents have to make their own travel arrangements if they live within three miles of their children's school.
Around 15 families living on Broad Lane in Essington whose children attend Cheslyn Hay Sport & Community High School are affected.
They claim the walking route, which follows Long Lane, New Landywood Lane and Strawberry Lane, is dangerous.
Father-of-two Jon Lawton, aged 44, has written to Staffordshire County Council on behalf of the families, appealing for the route to be reassessed with the ultimate aim of getting school travel costs scrapped.
He said: "We parents feel that the 'Safe Route to School' is anything but – it is very unsafe. There are no footpaths and the verges are unkempt or non-existent, meaning children are forced to walk with the traffic flow.
"If there are two cars coming and one doesn't give way, there is nothing you can do.
"Furthermore, there is no street lighting and it is a national speed limit of 60mph."
Mr Lawton, whose 11-year-old son James attends the school, said the alternative of paying for school bus fares was not an option for some families. He said: "It costs about £44 per child per month. It is a lot of money."
Ben Adams, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for learning and skills, said the council would re-examine the route and listen to parents' safety concerns. He said: "Where pupils live less than walking distance from the catchment or closest school, parents are responsible for making their own arrangements for their children to get there safely.
"Where a route is below the walking distance and is assessed as unsuitable for use by pupils when accompanied by an adult, they would be eligible for free home to school transport assistance. If parents raise safety concerns, we are of course always willing to check the journey and are planning to walk the Essington route ourselves and certainly welcome input from parents."
District councillor David Clifft, who is also chairman of Essington Parish Council, is supporting the appeal. He said: "The route is quite dangerous in one part, with a national speed limit. They haven't got a footpath and the roads are quite narrow with sharp bends."
