Parents of a Fife schoolboy say he faces a dark and dangerous walk to school after his free transport was withdrawn.
Unless they find a solution, Conor Clark, 12, faces walking from his home outside Buckhaven to Levenmouth Academy along unlit Percival Road while his brother Kyle, 14, travels by taxi.
There are no street lights on part of the road which connects the Standing Stanes Road to Buckhaven and Sarah and Scott Clark say it is prone to speeding, accidents and flooding.
Until now Conor has been allowed to use a spare seat in the taxi Kyle is entitled to due to special needs but from Monday this will be taken by another pupil.
Fife Council assessed his walking route as ‘available’ and as the family live within two miles of Levenmouth Academy this means he is not entitled to free transport.
Due to their work they are unable to drive him – Sarah is a nurse with shifts often starting at 6am and Scott works offshore – and no service buses pass by.
Sarah said: “In the summer it wouldn’t be so bad but in the winter it will be dark in the morning and dark by 4pm when he’s coming home.
“People do walk along there but even as an adult it’s scary.
“There are overgrown bushes at the side that come into the path and you have to step into the road to get past them.
“I’m not prepared to put my son’s safety at risk.”
Sarah says it was suggested to her she should have considered her children’s journey to school when she bought her house.
But she said: “I don’t want to have to move house or quit my job to get my children to school safely.”
To assess the route’s suitability, council officers walked it on the morning and afternoon of March 31.
It was concluded that the pavement – which switches sides at one point – was adequate, sightlines for crossing were good and traffic was not busy.
Council says route is accessible
The council’s policy for assessing school walking routes says the absence of street lighting does not on its own make a route unavailable.
The same policy was challenged in 2019 by parents who feared children from the Tofthill estate near Glenrothes would have to walk alongside the A92 to Auchmuty High School.
Education service manager, Kevin Funnell, said:Â Â “The walking route to Levenmouth Academy from Buckhaven was assessed during a morning and afternoon period by council officers from education, transportation and safer communities. Â Councillors also attended during the morning assessment. Â It was agreed that this is an accessible route.
“We expect that pupils will be accompanied by a responsible adult, such as a parent or carer, on their walk to and from school until they are able complete the journey on their own. This is set out in our Walked Route to School Assessment policy.
“We don’t have any plans to reassess this particular walking route as there hasn’t been a significant change to the road infrastructure”
Conversation