School bus appeal on safety grounds

Plymman

Hi, can anyone offer advice on how to appeal a school bus pass on safety grounds?

We got a letter a few weeks back saying that although we're within the 3 miles to school (2.8 miles by their distance) we would get a bus pass as the route has been assessed as unsuitable. Great.

Today we got a letter saying that was a mistake and we won't get a bus pass.

We walked their mapped route today and it is quite frankly ridiculous. It is along what was once dedicated footpaths but are now so unused the footpath isn't visible and is overgrown with grass and bramble to adult shoulder height. A good portion is through farmers fields where he has crop growing to the hedge leaving no path at all other than tractor tyre tracks in the mud. The path is all on grass or mud across hedged fields with no light. The walk talk us 1 hour and 15 minutes at adult pace.

I've read that if you appeal on safety grounds they are only interested in traffic danger.

Can anyone offer any advice? We're not in a financial position to pay £250 per year for the pass and neither do we have a car we can use to get her to school (my wife uses it for a 30 mile commute to work and leaves at 7 am).

Thanks.

jackomdj

Not able to help, but I would love to be paying £250, our bus is over £700 per year and as from Sept we will have two at the school.

Are the roads suitable for her to cycle? or does anyone else go that way that your daughter could go with?

When you walked it did you use any kind of device to measure the distance? I would try writing explaining it is off road, along muddy disused footpaths which would be dangerous for an 11/12 year old to walk during winter hours alone.

Good luck.

Plymman

I realise the cost doesn't sound a lot but we barely make it to the end of the month as it is, finding another £250 isn't going to be easy.

Believe it or not the main route has been deemed unsafe by the council for walking and cycling to school as it is a 60 mph main road with 1000+ cars an hour. We're in an isolated village so sadly she's on her own.

The council expect her to be accompanied as they don't factor in personal safety, only traffic safety. The walk is around an hour and a half so that means the accompanying adult will spend the best part of 6 hours per day walking her the 12 miles to and from school (home-school, school-home x 2) each day. Try fitting work around that!

I've just read that a footpath should be at least 1 metre wide and 1.5 metres at a field boundary. Considering the path is invisible due to grass and bramble and the farmer has planted crops right up to the boundary hedge we may have a right of appeal there.

It maddens me that practicality doesn't come into it, just straight line distance and traffic flow. While this route may well be a public right of way, its a long way off of being a usable footpath.

Plymman

I forgot to add that my son will start next year so I'll then need to find an extra £500 from somewhere...

atolaas

I'd appeal. Supply them with evidence of your situation - i.e take photos of the paths that they expect you to use...all overgrown etc. Explain your financial situation and that there is no car available for school runs. If you don't appeal then you definitely won't get the financial support that you're after. Be persistent, keep trying! Good luck :-)

stragglebod

Are the paths public rights of way? Your council will have something called a Definitive Map which shows public rights of way, and there's probably an online version on their website.

Or if you go on Bing Maps and have your profile settings to show you're in the UK then you can choose the Ordnance Survey layer, and if you scroll in enough you'll be able to see public rights of way there.

If the paths are public rights of way then hassle the council's right or way people to make sure the paths are kept accessible, and see if there's a local walkers group who might have contacts who can help.

Also, some farmers are reasonable people; see if you can find out who the tenant is.

kinger101

I'd do as atolass suggests. Take a map, and photos taken at various points.

LadyDee

I had this problem many years ago, the pass was initially refused. I appealed for help from our local MP at his 'surgery', who made sure we got the pass. MPs do sometimes have their uses!