Lanarkshire parents warn school children could be left walking next to B road

Parents with children at Lesmahagow High are fighting to save a school bus route from the chopping block next year.

South Lanarkshire Council is changing the qualifying distance for school buses for secondary school pupils from two miles to three.

Lisa Tweed from Blackwood Parent Council told Greatest Hits Radio: "Our children would be expected to walk more than two miles next to the notoriously busy B7078 road.

"I walked the route last weekend and I didn't feel safe and it's not lit during the winter months.

"It is full of bad junctions where a number of fatal crashes have happened over the years."

A group of around 100 parents got together in Lesmahagow to protest against the decision to change the rules across the local authority earlier this week.

Lanarkshire parents warn school children could be left walking next to B road

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Parents have tried the route themselves and say they feel it's unsafe.

Parents have tried the route themselves and say they feel it's unsafe.

Lisa added: "We think there could be around 250 children trying to get to school at one time and we've only got two public services buses with capacity of about 60 each.

"One of those is at 6.30 in the morning."

The local authority says full risk assessments will be carried out in the coming months and there won't be any cuts to routes which would leave children in danger.

South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan told us: "We don't want to be in the position of having to reduce this service or any other but that is a reflection of the financial place we find ourselves in.

"We face both an increase in our outgoing costs and inadequate funding from the Scottish Government."

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