IT is shocking that children are expected to make journeys on dangerous rural roads to get to and from school, a councillor  said this week.

Cllr Isobel Towse (SD) raised the issue at a meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District on Monday.

She asked for the support of her fellow councillors in writing to the Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, to seek a review of the School Transport Scheme.

She said this was needed in order to ensure that all children are eligible for a seat on a bus to their nearest school, and that the safety level of the roads must be taken into consideration.

‘There is a pupil from Owenahincha attending secondary school in Rosscarbery who is not eligible for a school bus place because they live too close to the school,’ explained Cllr Towse.

‘The student was granted a concessionary ticket instead, allowing them a seat if space is available, which it rarely is.

‘How are pupils like this expected to get to school? They may live [nearby] but, in this case, Owenahincha is still about three and a half kilometres from the school each way, uphill in one direction.

‘It requires traversing the windy and dangerous road from Owenahincha to the N71 at the Owenhincha Cross, and crossing or travelling on the N71 at Newmills, a location flagged for complete realignment because it’s so dangerous.’

Cllr Towse said she was also contacted by one lone parent, who lives on an existing bus route but could not get tickets for her two children who attend different schools.

‘How does the minister, or anyone expect her to drop her kids to a primary school, a secondary school, and arrive at work, all at the same time in the morning?’ she asked. ‘It’s an impossibility.’

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) seconded the motion. He said: ‘Concessionary tickets, forget about them, they’re only a headache.’ He agreed it was a big issue, claiming that the problem has been getting worse in recent years. He recalled talking to someone whose daughter held a school bus ticket for the last four years but was refused this time around.

Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind Ire) said that while he hasn’t been getting as many calls about the issue this year he remembers a time during his schooling that the buses would be leaving ‘half-empty’, noting that’s no longer the case.

Cllr Deirdre Kelly (FF) suggested a letter  should also be penned to Minister of State Michael Moynihan, whose remit includes school transport. She added that it’s ‘horrific’ that parents have to wait until September to learn if their child will receive a
bus ticket.

Cllr Finbarr Harrington (Ind) agreed, saying it’s ‘last minute dot com’ for parents at that stage. He also asked for a slight amendment to the motion so children not attending their ‘nearest’ school be accommodated, which was accepted by Cllr Towse.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.