We'll gridlock roads over school bus cuts

0 - 0 • Published 3 Jun 2008 10:00

PARENTS from across South Ayrshire have promised to cause rush hour gridlock across the area"s roads in a bid to safeguard their children"s safety.

Around 90 parents arrived at the first action group to stop the cut of school buses for primary kids living under two miles from their school. The heated debate raged for hours with parents claiming it puts their kids in danger.

Now the newly-formed South Ayrshire School Transport Action Group are planning to cause chaos by driving their cars incredibly slowly - at peak times - and cause as much misery as possible to get the council to listen to their demands.

Dad-of-three Colin Chitty chaired the meeting at Prestwick"s Parkstone Hotel last Tuesday and called on other parents to come up with ways of 'embarrassing' the council into submission.

Colin - who has two children attending Queen Margaret Academy and one at St Ninian"s - continued: 'We have a major problem with this council. They do not listen to any of the concerns put forward from any source regarding the cutting, loss or reduction of services to the South Ayrshire people. Unless we do something today, they will continue to destroy the very fabric of our communities that are essential.

'It shows that not only is this council financially bankrupt but they are morally bankrupt as well. They attack the most vulnerable and will continue to do so until they are stopped. They have already dropped the daily spend per pupil attending South Ayrshire primary schools to 14p per day. What will they cut next year?

'We have made suggestions to them and we know the money is available, so I want to assure all council members that this action group will remain on their collective case until they change their decision or we have changed their employer.'

The cut is expected to save the council £100,000 and will affect at least 345 children as young as four, attending 13 primary schools.

At the meeting, Prestwick mum-of-three Mairi Hull, who we featured last week, added: 'Nottingham council changed their bus route and they had so much grief from parents it was more economical to bring the bus back. Some mornings at 8.30am we should get in our cars and drive very, very slowly on the busiest parts of each of main towns.'

More than 300 pupils - from Alloway, Barassie, Doonfoot, Ayr Grammar, Holmston, Kincaidston, Kingcase, Muirhead, Newton, St John"s, St Ninian"s, St Patrick"s and Troon Primaries - will be affected by the bus cuts.

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council said: 'The council as a local authority has a legal requirement to provide school transport. The detail is provided for under the 1980 Education Act as follows. The walking distance is two miles in the case of a child under the age of eight, and in any other case three miles. The authority is obliged to have regard for the safety of pupils.

'Our council is providing free transport for all pupils of primary age within two miles walking distance and as such is improving on its statutory duty.'

Dates and places for the traffic gridlock have yet to be arranged. The next meeting is set for June 24 at 7pm at Parkhouse Hotel on Ardayre Road.

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This article appeared in Troon Times 03 Jun 08

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