A decision to withdraw a subsidised bus service for primary school pupils in Ellon could be upheld next week.
Parents are furious at Aberdeenshire Council’s plans to axe the service, which took pupils in Knockothie and Castlepark to Auchterellon and Ellon primary schools.
At a stormy meeting earlier this month, about two dozen parents demanded answers from the council – accusing officers of putting their children at risk by forcing them to walk to school along busy roads.
A report addressing some of the parents’ points has now been published ahead of a special Formartine area committee meeting.
But parents – who wanted to consider the report before commenting last night – will be dismayed, as councillors are being urged to endorse the decision to end the bus service.
In the document, director of infrastructure services Stephen Archer tells members the road safety engineering unit had re-assessed the roads leading to both schools, and found they posed no “exceptional safety hazards” and were “fit for purpose”.
He also stresses that none of the houses in Knockothie are more than two miles from either Auchterellon or Ellon primary, meaning the council is not obliged to provide transport. An assessment found the furthest away house within the Auchterellon catchment was 1.6miles away – in Findhorn Drive – and from Ellon Primary, it is 1.47miles from Portsoy Grove.
He states: “Whilst it is accepted that it is a long walk, it is within the parameters adopted by Aberdeenshire Council.
“The exposure to traffic risk in controlled urban environment presents far less risk than to one where pedestrians are required to walk without footpaths on roads without higher speed traffic.”
Officers have said steps will be taken to enhance safety, such as cutting back branches at crossings on Hospital, Commerical and Station roads, and they also want to install a zebra crossing on Golf Road.
At the meeting earlier this month, parents were hopeful that bus operator Kineil may be able to revise their timetable to include the schools at the start and end of the day, but Mr Archer said further investigations had revealed this would not be possible as it would impact the Newburgh to Ellon service.
Formartine area committee will consider the report at the Kirk Centre at 10am on Tuesday.
