Farcical rules over eligibility for transport mean some Whiteley parents may have to walk 8 miles a day to ensure their children get safely to school and back. Amazingly, the Hampshire County Council’s Regulatory Committee claimed it was safe for kids aged over 8 to walk unaccompanied to St John the Baptist C of E Controlled School at Titchfield Common.

It was the last straw for County Councillor Seán Woodward and the school governors. They persuaded the committee to join them at 7.45am on the walk from the Sweethills Crescent area to St John’s to demonstrate why the 2.1-mile route was unsafe for such young children to walk alone. He highlighted the narrow pavements on Botley Road, dangers of crossing Botley Road and the A27 and the unpredictable traffic at the Hunts Pond Road/Church Road series of mini roundabouts.

The result? The committee ruled it was safe if parents walked their kids to school and back! Councillor Woodward said: “This means parents are expected to walk over 8 miles a day in all weathers to get their children to school, despite having been refused entry to Whiteley Primary School. “This is even if their younger brothers or sisters are taken on the free minibuses. This situation is due to legislation requiring free transport to be provided only when a child of over 8 lives more than 3 miles from the school. For under-8s it is 2 miles. “Now that the Council has ruled it safe to accompany children, the accompanying parent will not arrive back home until 10am and will be setting off again at 2pm. It is impossible for them to hold down a fulltime job. “I am supporting the parents, for whom it would be impractical for employment or domestic reasons to spend 4 hours a day walking to and from school, to make a further appeal to Children’s Services for free school travel.” When he learned the minibuses for the under-8s were taking the long route via the M27 junction to school, he requested transponders to be issued so they could use the Yew Tree Drive/Botley Road bus gate to significantly reduce the round trip.

St John’s currently has 25 Whiteley children unable to gain a place at Whiteley Primary School and this number will increase until  a new primary school is provided in the Winchester City Council North of Whiteley development.

Last Updated on Thursday, 09 February 2012 11:33