Parents 'told the council children would be at risk'

Campaigners who have long opposed the council's implementation of a revised school transport strategy have spoken up after the incident, saying they warned the council about the risk of harm to young people caused by increased traffic near school campuses.

Marissa Cloughley, the Save NLC School Buses Campaign leader, said parents have reported several other near-miss incidents at multiple campuses.

"It’s really concerning to hear that a child was knocked down at Chryston High School. There was also a very close call with a child and a car at another school as well. 

"The increase in traffic around schools could be a factor in these incidents. It will be much worse for primary school children who are probably not as road-wise." 

Beginning this school year, North Lanarkshire Council rolled out cuts to its transportation services by limiting eligibility for school transport to secondary students living more than three miles from school.

This has caused more students to walk, ride the public bus or take a car to school than in previous years, and parents say the increased traffic and strain on the public bus routes is making the school run more dangerous.

Not the first safety issue raised

Parents have waged an ongoing battle with the council over the new policy, saying they did not receive a fair opportunity to understand the changes before they were approved and questioning the validity of the council's safety assessments. 

This week's incident is not the first report of incidents involving school-aged pedestrians along the council's identified walking routes, even according to the council's own safety assessments. 

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As Ms Cloughley explained, although many parents feel that they are fighting an uphill battle to reverse the secondary school changes, preventing the cuts to primary school transport – or at least assuring extra safety measures in the rollout – feels urgent.

On Tuesday afternoon, a group of parents, community members and some students rallied in front of North Lanarkshire Council headquarters during a meeting of the Education, Children and Families Committee.

They were there partly in support of having a petition heard by the committee, which has gathered 1,700 signatures and calls for several key concessions around the transportation policy changes:

• A pause to the current school transport cuts until a thorough review is conducted
• A new comprehensive review of the safe walking routes, including input from parents, schools, and independent safety experts
• Clear and detailed information on the decision-making process that designated walking routes as safe
• A full debate at the next meeting of North Lanarkshire Council, with a roll call vote on the mitigations the council can introduce to ensure the safety and well-being of all children affected by transport cuts

The petition was not debated at the committee meeting. A spokesperson for the council said it was not added for consideration by the required deadline but that once a report is submitted, it can be considered at an upcoming meeting.

However, the meeting was not without its share of controversy. During a discussion about children and young people within the justice system, Scottish Conservative councillor and depute provost Bob Burgess referred to some young people as "feral" before later retracting his comments to say that he should have said "wild" instead.

'We told the council kids would be at risk'

Chryston High School Parent Council member Lesley Guidici said that whatever word was intended, the conversation illustrates parents' concerns for students and their rights in North Lanarkshire.

"I don't know any feral or wild children, but it speaks volumes about how the Council views the children and young people in North Lanarkshire. 

"Children are the future, but maybe for them to have a positive future, we need to move out of North Lanarkshire to an area where they are valued and given the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential."

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In an official comment following Thursday's incident involving a 12-year-old student, the council confirmed that the student had been riding on the bus involved and stressed the use of crossings.

The North Lanarkshire Council civic centre in Motherwell has hosted multiple rallies against bus cuts in the past year. (Image: Colin Mearns)

Local parent Diane Delaney said it was "shameful" to suggest the student was at fault, particularly following a year of parents' campaigning to raise serious safety concerns associated with the school bus cuts.

"If children were on school buses, they would be driven straight into the school grounds.

"What the Council is not saying is that there is a significant increase in traffic around Chryston, that there are in fact few traffic light crossings, and there is no crossing patrol person.

"We told the Council that the children would be at risk of harm."

Although parents see the recent incident as an example of the consequences they warned about when the council decided to cut certain bus routes, a council spokesperson warned against drawing a connection between the incident and the new policy.

When asked to respond to parent concerns, a council spokesperson said: "An incident occurred outside Chryston High School before the start of the school day on Thursday, where a public service bus was in a collision with a pupil.

"Emergency services were quickly on the scene and attended to the pupil, who was later taken to hospital. The pupil is reported to be doing well.

"The pupil had been travelling on the bus which hit him. This incident highlights the importance of using pedestrian crossings, which pupils are constantly reminded to do.

"It would be irresponsible for a link to be made between this incident and school transport."

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Around 8.45am on Thursday, September 12, 2024, we received a report of a collision involving a bus and a 12-year-old child pedestrian on Linsdaybeg Road, Chryston.

“The child was taken to the Royal Hospital for Children for treatment.

“Enquiries are ongoing."