
The (Acting)
Head of Service (Curriculum and Policy Development) ,
a year ago, quite clearly stated that East Renfrewshire Authority's view was that a
return to statutory provision of free School Bus services would be
detrimental to pupils' safety.
See
here (page 29 - last paragraph).
She conceded that a
return to the car run would be inevitable which would only
add to the pupils risk around schools as well as adding congestion to roads and pollution. Do these arguments seem
familiar? Are all these routes now somehow safe? How can that be
without consultation from Police or having carried out a risk assessment to re-evaluate them?
It has been stated that
buses are not being withdrawn. The
free buses that have been available on the
grounds of safety are being
withdrawn and being replaced by a pay bus which is being actively promoted. How can the Council
rebuff their own pupil safety arguments made only last May? The safety conditions around roads and Schools in East Renfrewshire have not improved since then.
A staggering
own goal! - Gerry O'Hara