George calls in Parliamentary debate on school transport for a review of free school transport on dangerous rural roads
10th January 2012
Today George joined a Westminster Hall Debate on School Transport to highlight the growing danger of children walking to school in rural counties like Norfolk. The debate comes after data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) in December of last year revealed that almost three-quarters of England's councils are reviewing or making cuts to optional school transport services.
Despite the Department of Transport committing an extra £10 million for community transport in rural areas, the disproportionately high casualty rates on country roads mean walking to school is not a safe or realistic option for many rural families.
Speaking in the debate George raised the issue of rural discrimination, and changing traffic and work patterns, to call for a review to current free school transport criteria, also highlighting the issue of school pupil safety and the importance of school bus services in making the school commute convenient, safe and affordable for families in Mid Norfolk.
Commenting after the debate George said:
“It is simply not fair to rely on rural families to drive children to school. This is expensive, bad for the environment and personal health, causes congestion, and is simply impossible for many single parents and working families. We all understand the pressure on public finances, and cuts to school buses may be feasible in cities, but not in the rural UK.
We want to be promoting walking and cycling, but this cannot be done without being sure that the routes we will be sending our children off on are safe and well lit. Wandering down dark country lanes without a footpath is not an option and the Departments for Transport and Education need to make sure rural schools are treated fairly. In the past there has been too much passing the buck of responsibility.
Norfolk County Council currently transports 24,000 children to school per day who fit the current criteria for school transport, but many more thousands are forced to walk round trips of up to four miles per day along unlit country roads without footpaths. This legislation remains virtually unchanged since the 1940s and is simply out of date. It does not fit with today’s lifestyle, is unsafe, and unfair on rural areas. Living in the country is different. One size does not fit all.
Transport to school is a major challenge facing rural areas and getting this right is crucial to allow Mid Norfolk to remain a place where families want to live, work and raise children. I recently visited Wymondham College to meet with teachers, parents and Morley Saint Botolph village residents who are campaigning for a footpath for school children in their area. Together they reiterated to me just how pressing this issue is for families in rural Norfolk and I am pleased to have been able to discuss this in the House.”
FULL TEXT:
George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con): Does my hon. Friend agree that at the heart of the question is the issue of one size not fitting all, and legislation not working in rural areas in the same way that it does in urban ones? In cities, many of us will have seen happy gangs of schoolchildren walking and cycling safely to school in a morning. In rural areas, increasingly both members of couples are working, and at rush hour families who commute are affected by the cost of fuel and the higher speed of traffic. There is much more traffic on rural roads, and many people in mid-Norfolk live more than two or three miles from a local school. School rush hour in rural areas is a real problem. Norfolk now provides 24,000 free journeys a day, which has been described as the tip of the iceberg. That is a problem across rural areas, and I urge the Minister to see whether the criteria can be reviewed to take account of the important change that has taken place in the past 40 years.
